AKRON, Ohio -- Dustin Johnson was on the range at Firestone for an hour and was lucky if he hit more than a dozen shots.This would not be described as an intense practice session, for all the right reasons.It was Johnsons first public appearance since he left Oakmont with the U.S. Open trophy for his first major. He flew home to Florida that night, set the trophy on the kitchen table so it would be the first thing he saw when he came down the stairs and then headed to The Bahamas for a double celebration -- winning a major and his birthday. He turned 32 last Wednesday.Johnson doesnt always have much to say, but his smile on the eve of the Bridgestone Invitational said it all.I felt like Ive been playing really well all year and just havent been able to get a W, he said. It definitely came at a good time a couple weeks ago.And now its back to work.This is the third World Golf Championship of the year (for every tour but Europe), and because of the Olympics, it comes at strange time. The Bridgestone Invitational is two weeks after the U.S. Open and two weeks before the British Open.Johnson tees off in the penultimate group Thursday in a U.S. Open-winning trio with Jordan Spieth and Justin Rose.THE FIELD: The Bridgestone Invitational features a 61-man field, the smallest since only 39 players competed in 2001 when this WGC event was exclusively for current Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup team members.Blame that on the Olympics, and a clash between the PGA Tour and the European Tour.This week also is the 100th anniversary of the French Open, the oldest national championship in continental Europe. The European Tour, under new chief Keith Pelley, offered its members plenty of incentive to be in Paris -- and to not be in Ohio.Europe did not sanction this WGC. Prize money has been boosted slightly in the French Open, and Ryder Cup points have been boosted significantly. Plus, anyone playing the Bridgestone Invitational will not get any Ryder Cup points or credit for a start toward membership requirements.The result is no Rory McIlroy, Masters champion Danny Willett, Lee Westwood or Martin Kaymer.THE DEFENDING CHAMP: Shane Lowry made a bold decision to be at Firestone, where he got his first win in America last year.He is just outside the Ryder Cup standings in Europe, only 13 world ranking points away from Andy Sullivan for the ninth spot. It would help to take advantage of extra points available in France. But the Irishman chose to come to Firestone to defend his title.Coming off a tie for second in the U.S. Open, the Irishman is confident he can play well enough in the three remaining events on his schedule -- the Scottish Open, British Open and PGA Championship -- to make the team. If not, dont be surprised to see him add the Italian Open.THE ROOKIES: Of the 61-man field, 15 players are at the Bridgestone Invitational for the first time.Its an example of a growing list of young winners -- Justin Thomas, Daniel Berger, Emiliano Grillo and Smylie Kaufman to name a few -- and a few surprises.William McGirt had never been to a WGC event until he won the Memorial a month ago. Neither had Brian Stuard when he won in New Orleans. Kevin Chappell still hasnt won, but a pair of runner-up finishes to Jason Day in Florida (Bay Hill, The Players Championship) shot him up well into the top 50.The biggest surprise? Billy Hurley III, coming off his win at Congressional. He had never won on tour and was No. 607 in the world.GOING FOR THE DOUBLE: Adam Scott (Doral) and Day (Match Play) have a chance to win two World Golf Championships in the same year, a feat that has only been achieved by the best two players of this generation -- Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.Mickelson won at Doral and in Shanghai in 2009. Woods did six times.THE OLYMPIANS: Assuming there are no more dropouts because of Zika or any other concern in Rio -- and thats a big assumption -- only 13 players currently eligible for the Olympics are in the field at the Bridgestone Invitational.Custom Tampa Bay Rays Nike Jerseys . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. 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The Dutchmans tenure got off to a poor start when referee Guido Winkmann awarded a penalty within two minutes for Niklas Starks clumsy challenge on Alexandru Maxim.Middle-order batsman Babar Azam and left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz earned maiden Test call-ups, for the first Test against West Indies in the UAE. Azams selection came right after he scored three consecutive centuries in Pakistans 3-0 ODI whitewash over West Indies.Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Hafeez and Shan Masood were the players left out of the group that went to England this summer, as Pakistan named a 14-man squad for the Dubai Test from October 13. Younis Khan had already been ruled out of the fixture, Pakistans maiden day-night Test, because he was recovering from dengue.The squad contained only five specialist batsmen in Azhar Ali, Sami Aslam, Azam, Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq, meaning Pakistan are likely to play Sarfraz Ahmed at No. 6, and allrounder Nawaz at No. 7 or go in with five specialist bowlers.Chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq acknowledged that Pakistan have been struggling to find quality allrounders and hoped Nawaz could be the answer. We have been searching for one who can bat in the lower order and bowl as well. And if you look at Nawaz, he has got a good first-class record. It shows he has been promising with the bat and has competed as a bowler.Nawaz has 1440 runs and 44 wickets, including three centuries and a seven-wicket haul, across 29 first-class matches. Azam, 21, was picked in the squad after a prolific run in one-day cricket for Pakistan this year, scoring 656 runs in 11 innings at an average of 59 and strike rate of 95. He made his ODI debut in the home series against Zimbabwe in May 2015, and has 886 runs in 18 matches. Azam averages 41.13 in first-class cricket, having scored 1522 runs in 41 innings for five different teams.Hafeez played three Teests on the tour of England, making 102 runs in six innings, before he was dropped for the last match at The Oval, which Pakistan won to draw the series 2-2.dddddddddddd. He played the one-off ODI against Ireland and the first one against England before he suffered a leg injury and returned home. After recovering Hafeez was asked by the selectors to play in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy, Pakistans first-class competition, and he made 68 in both innings of his first game for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines.Inzamam said this was because they didnt want the players sitting on the bench for too long. Those who are good but werent able to perform in England, we made them to play in first-class cricket. We didnt want them to waste their time on the bench but rather they play some cricket get themselves back into form.Hafeez earned a spot in the PCB Patrons XI against the West Indians in Sharjah, but he made a duck in the first innings and was left out of the Test squad.This meant Pakistan were going into the series with only one specialist opener - Aslam. The selectors felt with Azhar having performed the role in their most recent Test and with it being a home series, they were covered.See this is our home series and if we need anyone we can bring them over, Inzamam said. And if you recall, in the England series, it was Azhar who opened the innings so its fine. He knows he will open again.Squad Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Imran Khan, Mohammad Amir, Rahat Ali, Sami Aslam, Sarfraz Ahmed, Sohail Khan, Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Babar Azam, Mohammad Nawaz ' ' '
