Brand recognition isn't a problem at Firestone

Golf fans across the country have grown accustomed to watching tournaments at Firestone Country Club over the years. The storied course, commissioned by Harvey Firestone in 1929 as a park for employees of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, has acted as host to more professional tournaments than any other course in America.

The "old school" track has been the site of the Rubber City Open (1954-1959), the PGA Championship (1960, 1966, 1975), the American Golf Classic (1961-65, 1967-1974, 1976) and the World Series of Golf, now known as the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational (1962-2001, 2003-present). In the late '50s and early '60s, the club also held eight CBS Golf Classics, which was one of the first made-for-television golf series.

Firestone's distinctive golf-ball-on-a-tee-like water tower has become a fixture on the American golf landscape and its famous South Course has acted as host to more than 70 major championships. Firestone South has become an old friend that we are used to checking up on an annual basis, an anchor we can count on with a rich history. After scoring a triple-bogey on the 16th hole during the first PGA Championship held on the course in 1960, Arnold Palmer called it a "Monster." The name struck such a cord with frustrated golfers that the entire South Course in now known fondly as "The Monster."

Since 1960 the South Course has held a PGA Tour event with the exception of two years, in 1994 when the greens mysteriously died and the tournament was moved across the street to the more scenic North Course and in 2002 when the Bridgestone Invitational (NEC Invitational back then) was held at Sahalee Country Club near Seattle, site of last week's U.S. Senior Open.

As one would expect from a course dubbed "The Monster," the par-70 Firestone South is noted for its length at 7,400 yards. There's nothing fancy about the layout, which features 11 par 4s of more than 400 yards in length, yet it is one of the most respected courses on the PGA Tour. One simply has to be accurate with their drives because the narrow fairways are well bunkered and bordered with high rough. Shots into the greens, usually with mid-to-long irons, have to be precise. Once on the greens, however, the hard work has been done because most of the closely trimmed putting surfaces are relatively flat with very few undulations.

The list of past champions at Firestone is so impressive that it would be an upset if an underdog prevails this week. Because the tournament has attracted the top 50 players in the world it might be hard to describe any of them as underdogs. Still, don't expect anyone without a pedigree of some sort to be lifting the champion's trophy come Sunday afternoon. This is one of golf's biggest stages and it will separate the men from the boys.

Growing up in the Akron area, Oldgolfdawg had several opportunities to watch some of golf's biggest names play at Firestone. Watching Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Bruce Crampton, Gay Brewer, Gary Player, Tom Weiskopf, Lee Elder and Jack Nicklaus up close from just behind the ropes was a real treat and left a lasting impression on me.

The first and most memorable tournament at Firestone that Oldgolfdawg observed as a teen-ager was the 1968 American Golf Classic when PGA Tour rookie Lee Elder took Nicklaus to the fifth hole of sudden death before losing. It was the highlight of Elder's season -- he went on finish 40th on the money list, bringing in approximately $38,000 -- and proved to the world that a black golfer could compete with the game's best if given a chance. There's no doubt it later served as inspiration for a yet-to-be-born Tiger Woods.

Much focus will be on Woods today when the tournament kicks off. Everyone wants to see how he will play on one of his favorite courses and whether he can emerge from his current slump. My pick is Lee Westwood, who is overdue to win a big championship, even if this wouldn't be as a good as a major. Westwood, a solid driver with enough length off the tee to tame Firestone, was a runner-up two years ago and finished ninth last year.

Another player worth watching is last year's runner-up, Padraig Harrington. He has something to prove after his triple-bogey meltdown on the 16th hole last year opened the door for Woods to win his seventh Bridgestone title. Harrington comes to Akron on the heels of a closing 64 to finish second at the 3 Irish Open Sunday.

The Bridgestone Invitational can be seen on the Golf Channel (today: 2-6 p.m., 8:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.; Friday: 2-6 p.m., 8:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.; Saturday 12-1:30 p.m., 9-11:30 p.m.; Sunday: 11-12:30 p.m.) and CBS (Saturday: 2-6 p.m.; Sunday: 2-6 p.m.)

Information from GolfObserver.com, PGATOUR.com and wikipedia contributed to this post.