This week, the PGA Tour returns to Firestone Country Club for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, the setting for what might be the most impressive decade of dominance in PGA Tour history.

Tiger Woods' 14 career major championships and 74 PGA Tour wins are the fruits of a career that has never failed to amaze. But his record in this  tournament stands apart from anything the game has ever seen. 

Woods' unparalleled ledger at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational defies all logic. It's simply jaw-dropping. For a decade, Tiger put an MMA-style chokehold on storied Firestone, leaving competitors flailing and mouths agape. 

Between 1999 and 2009, Woods played the Bridgestone 10 times, missing the 2008 tournament with injury. In those 10 years, he won the tournament seven times. That's an acceptable percentage for free throws. For golf tournaments, it's insane.

The three years Woods failed to win, he finished 4th, T4 and T2. Over a 10-tounament span, that's an average finish of 1.7.

Let all that sink in for a minute. The WGC events assemble the greatest fields in world golf. The Firestone South course layout is a classic track that has hosted three PGA Championships. Woods has treated the tournament, the course and the field like he was Steve Williams and they were pesky photographers.

Over those 10 tournaments, from 1999-2009, Woods won $9,352,500. That number would rank sixth on an all-time list of single-season earnings, and Woods accumulated it in 10 tournaments. Over that span, Woods averaged 67.5 strokes per round on a course that Arnold Palmer once dubbed a "Monster."

Symptomatic of Tiger's recent decline, he failed to contend at the Bridgestone in 2010 and 2011, finishing T78 and T37, respectively, the last two years.

Consider this week a barometer for the state of Tiger's game. It's his best tournament. Heck, it's probably the best tournament for any player in the game's history.

If he's truly "back," he'll win it for the eighth time.

- by Rob Doster
Follow me on Twitter @AthlonDoster

Ernie Els' win in the British Open marked the fourth major championship of his remarkable career, and the third decade in which he's won a major. He's now tied with Phil Mickelson in career majors, which begs the question: Who's the second-best player of the Tiger Woods era in golf? A side-by-side comparison doesn't exactly clear things up, but let's try it anyway. 

The Case for Mickelson
• 40 career PGA Tour wins, tied for ninth all time 
• Three Masters wins, tied for fourth-most all time
• 33 top-10 finishes in major championships
• A record five second-place finishes at the U.S. Open
• Five runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour money list
• Multiple PGA Tour wins in 13 seasons

The Case for Els
• 19 PGA Tour wins, 27 European Tour wins
• Multiple Open wins on both sides of the Atlantic, joining Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Walter Hagen, Lee Trevino and Bobby Jones
• 33 top-10 finishes in major championships
• Two Orders of Merit for top money-winner on the European Tour
• The all-time money leader on the European Tour
• Unlike Mickelson, Els briefly ascended to the top spot in the World Golf Ranking on three separate occasions

The Intangibles
Mickelson's go-for-broke style, one that has produced heroic shots like the pine straw 5-iron at The Masters, has earned him many fans, but it has also given rise to some truly tragic moments, like his 72nd hole meltdown at Winged Foot when that elusive first U.S. Open win was in his grasp. Even throughout the Woods era, Lefty has been the people's choice, a latter-day Arnold Palmer who has thrilled and disappointed his throngs of followers in equal measure. His legendary short game is pure magic, but his persistent wildness off the tee is identifiable for duffers everywhere. Mickelson's battle with arthritis and wife Amy's battle with breast cancer have added to his everyman appeal.
Els' effortless game gives off a totally different vibe. His smooth, syrupy swing is the game's gold standard, in a class all time with Sam Snead's. His relatable struggles with the putter also endear him to his legion of fans, and his son's battle with autism has linked him to a worthy cause.
Both guys exude class, although there are persistent whispers among Tour insiders that Lefty isn't all that popular with his fellow players (FIGJAM, anyone?).

The Verdict
It's close, but we'll go with Mickelson. His three wins in the world's most prestigious tournament — one of which denied Els a lone Masters win — nudge him slightly ahead of Els' multiple Open wins. Lefty hasn't distinguished himself in Ryder Cup play, but he has outshined Els at the Presidents Cup, giving him an edge in international team competition. Lefty has come close more often in majors, with 18 top-3 finishes to Els' 14. 
Els has probably had a greater worldwide impact, but Mickelson has been the slightly better player.
What do you think?

By Rob Doster
Follow me on Twitter @AthlonDoster

Webb Simpson is our national champion, and contrary to the naysayers who'll claim he backed into it, a 68-68 weekend on one of the toughest golf courses in U.S. Open history is the definition of earning it. 

On the eve of the 2012 U.S. Open at San Francisco's Olympic Club, we've compiled some statistical tidbits:

Last foreign winner: 
Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland, 2011 

Last to defend title successfully: 
Curtis Strange, 1989 

Last to win three consecutive U.S. Opens: 
Willie Anderson, 1903-05 

Last winner to win the U.S. Open on first attempt: 
Francis Ouimet, 1913 

Last winner to win the U.S. Open on second attempt: 
Jerry Pate, T18 in first in 1975, winner in 1976 

Last amateur to win U.S. Open: 
John Goodman, 1933 

Last start-to-finish winner (no ties): 
Rory McIlroy, 2011 

Last winner to win money title in same year: 
Tiger Woods, 2008 

Last winner to birdie the 72nd hole: 
Tiger Woods, 2008 

Last winner to birdie the 72nd hole to force a playoff: 
Tiger Woods, 2008 

Last winner to birdie the 72nd hole to win by one stroke: 
a-Robert T. Jones Jr., 1926 

Last winner to birdie the 72nd hole to win by two strokes: 
Lee Janzen, 1993 

Last to win without a round in the 60s: 
Geoff Ogilvy, Australia, 2006 

Last to win with all rounds in the 60s: 
Rory McIlroy, 2011 

Last to win with a round in the 80s: 
80, John McDermott, in playoff, 1911 

Last to win with a round of 77: 
Sam Parks Jr., in first round, 1935 

Last to win with a round of 76: 
Angel Cabrera, in third round, 2007 

Last to win with a round of 75: 
Payne Stewart, in playoff, 1991 

Last to win after being in sectional qualifying: 
Lucas Glover, 2009 

Last to win after being in local and sectional qualifying: 
Orville Moody, 1969 

Last winner between age 20-29: 
Rory McIlroy, 22, 2011 

Last winner between age 30-39: 
Graeme McDowell, 30, 2010 

Last winner over age 40: 
Payne Stewart, 42, 1999 (sixth-oldest in history) 

Last winner who received a special exemption: 
Hale Irwin, 1990 

Last defending champion to miss the cut: 
Angel Cabrera, 2008 

Last to win without a sub-par round: 
Geoff Ogilvy, 2006