The third World Golf Championship of the year begins on Thursday with the top players on the planet aligning in Ohio for the Bridgestone Invitational.
The tournament comes less than two weeks after Phil Mickelson secured victory at the Open Championship at Muirfield, but with plenty of world rankings points on offer, there is a strong field in Akron.
World number one Tiger Woods will go into the competition as the favourite, but despite winning the tournament on seven occasions, it is unlikely that he will have a smooth ride to a potential eighth success.
Below, Sports Mole picks out five players who could secure victory at the Firestone Country Club.
© AP Photos
Ever since his first win in 1999, Tiger Woods has created a legacy of success at this tournament.
The 37-year-old has emerged victorious on seven occasions in 13 attempts at Firestone, and after four victories in the first six months of this year, Woods rightly goes into the tournament as favourite.
He also won the last WGC - the Cadillac Championship - and arrives in Ohio after finishing sixth at the Open Championship.
However, an eighth-place finish last year is the best performance from Woods in his last three efforts here.
© AP Photos
Phil Mickelson will enter the Bridgestone Invitational as the most in-form player in the world after back-to-back successes in Great Britain.
After winning the Scottish Open, the left-hander produced a stunning final round at Muirfield to earn his first Open Championship.
Those victories have taken Mickelson to number two in the world golf rankings, and he will undoubtedly be a threat throughout the tournament.
It will be a remarkable achievement if the 43-year-old can win a third competition in a row, but it remains a real possibility as he closes the gap on Woods at the top of the sport's rankings.
© PA Photos
After his Fedex Cup success in 2012, Brandt Snedeker has used 2013 to springboard himself into the elite of the sport.
He began the year with successive second places, before he won his first trophy of the year at Pebble Beach in February.
A rib injury threatened to derail Snedeker's momentum, but he returned to record two top-10 finishes, which he followed up with solid displays at the US Open and the Open Championship.
After winning his second tournament of the year in Canada last week, the world number seven could be ready to break into the top four with a win in Akron.
© PA Photos
Lee Westwood has enjoyed a solid year on the PGA Tour, finishing in the top 25 in nine of his 14 tournaments.
Apart from one withdrawal, he has also made the cut at every event, and that impressive form continued two weeks ago with a fine performance at the Open.
Westwood displayed superb touch on the greens in Scotland to put himself into contention, and despite falling short, he looks ready to pick up his first win of the season.
The 40-year-old finished in 70th place last year, but he did end up in second position at Firestone in 2008.
© PA Photos
Jason Dufer has not enjoyed the best of years in 2013, recording just one top-five finish in 16 tournaments this year.
However, his fourth place came in June's US Open, and he followed that up with 26th at the Open Championship at Muirfield.
That sees him arrive at Firestone with a bit of momentum after a disappointing first six months of the year, and he has also performed well at recent World Golf Championships.
Aside from the Accenture Matchplay, he has recorded a top-12 spot in three of his last four starts, which included a seventh place at this tournament last year.
Darren Plant
