Steady Stenson in Tiger's Shadow

Henrik Stenson took a share of second place in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational with a level par 70 in the last round, as Tiger Woods cruised to his eighth victory in the event. The Swede was faced with a daunting task as Woods went into the final day seven shots clear of the field, and his endeavours were not helped by a bogey at the third hole, but he hung in with 13 straight pars before the gain at the penultimate hole ensured he finished on eight under alongside defending champion Keegan Bradley. Spaniard Miguel Angel Jiménez took a share of fourth spot with a final round of 69, while Englishman Chris Wood signed for a 71 to finish tied seventh on his debut at Firestone Country Club. “I played nicely today,” said Stenson. “I had a bad break on the third – my drive was on the fairway but I was stymied, so I chipped forward and then hit a lovely pitch into the green that came back down into the rough. Then I made a lovely chip and thought I’d holed it, but I ended up with a bogey. “I hit a lot of fairways and greens and eventually managed to snap the par streak with a solid birdie on the 17^th and made a lovely two-putt on the last to stay in second place.  “I’m very pleased with the week. Tiger punctured this tournament on Friday with his 61, but I did what I needed to do today and I’m very happy.” Wood was delighted with his first outing to Akron, Ohio, having opened with rounds of 66 and 68 to earn a third round pairing with Woods. “This week has been a great experience and I can’t be too disappointed with today,” said the Bristol man. “Yesterday was a massive learning curve for me, playing with Tiger. I tried not to watch, but I wanted to learn from him and the way he scores.  “It was probably the best experience I’ve had on a golf course. I’ve gained a lot of confidence from this week.”