WGC Bridgestone Invitational 2015: Tee times, pairings for Thursday’s round at Firestone

The final World Golf Championship of the season tees off Thursday which means all the best and able players in the game have descended on Akron. Only two of the top 50 players in the world are missing from the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational this year -- injured world No. 1 Rory McIlroy and Chris Kirk. Not having Rory, the defending champ here, in the field is a big hit but this event, as with all WGCs, remains one of the most competitive, lucrative, and elite tournaments on the circuit.

Jordan Spieth is the headliner for the week and he has a chance to overtake McIlroy’s No. 1 spot with his first WGC title in his nascent career. Spieth, who is making his first start since that close call at the British Open, said he now has “revenge” on his mind during this final big stretch of the season. He’ll be paired with the player who took the Claret Jug and ended his run at the Grand Slam, Zach Johnson. The two are friendly so there won’t be any frostiness in that pairing, but the Tour went for the obvious story and gave the Golf Channel team plenty to talk about during their afternoon broadcast.

Spieth and Johnson will go off the 1st tee at 2:15 p.m. ET so they will be the main attraction for the first round TV coverage, which starts at 1:30 p.m. One group behind them is Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose, the other headline pairing on the afternoon side of the draw. At a WGC event, where there’s so many top players in the world, you’re bound to get recognizable and big names throughout the tee sheet. Opposite Spieth on the morning half of the draw are Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson, and Dustin Johnson. They will all play on PGA Tour Live’s new featured groups streaming service and should have the end of their round fall during the TV window.

The Bridgestone is your typical limited-field no-cut event, so there’s no need to send them out in threesomes. The Tour will utilize split tees for the first 36 holes but it’s not essential given the limited field. Inclement weather can pop up in Northeast Ohio this time of year and derail the schedule. However, it’s still hard to get too far off track given all the extra cushion. This is also a course where the players tend to move quickly through a familiar layout. Rounds have come in under four hours in recent years so don’t expect much of a back-up.

Here’s the full tee sheet for Thursday’s opening round:

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