WGC-Bridgestone Invitational Power Rankings: Top ten at Firestone
Jon Rahm returns to the United States for his first American event since the U.S. Open. Following his runner-up finish at the Dean & Deluca Invitational, Rahm missed the cut at both Muirfield Village and Erin Hills. If that’s all you’d seen of him, you’d think his form had completely fallen apart.
Thankfully for Rahm and his fans, that wasn’t the case, at least not everywhere. Rahm opened July across the pond with a tenth-place tie at the Open de France, then a dominant victory at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open just a week later.
Rahm headed to Royal Birkdale as a strong favorite from many people, yours truly included. Things didn’t work out quite that well, as Rahm could muster just a tie for 44th place. That weekend, he shot two rounds of level par 70, not gaining a shot on the field, but not losing one, either.
Thankfully for Rahm, the formula for Firestone is just a little bit different from what works over at the Open rota courses. Specifically, he’ll be able to better utilize his massive power advantage, averaging over 305 yards from the tee. Add in his remarkable approach game (25th in greens-in-regulation vs 129th in driving accuracy) and you’re looking right at Rahm’s return to serious competition on the WGC stage.