The best golfers in the world have made their way to Shanghai, China and the Sheshan International Golf Club Shanghai for the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions this week. The HSBC Champions will represent the final tournament with the best in the world competing at the highest level. There is only three weeks left on the PGA Tour schedule while this will mark the final event of the season for the European Tour. The fact that the field for this week is as stacked as it is should make for a very interesting finish to the season.
Event Details
Event: World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions
Category: PGA
Date: October 26-30
Location: Sheshan International Golf Club Shanghai, Shanghai, China
The past few editions of this tournament won’t provide too much insight in to what to expect as there has been a diverse set of winners over the years. Russell Knox won this event last year despite his struggles off the tee but he did rank inside the top-10 in Par 5 Performance. Knox is currently listed as a +4000 long shot to repeat at the HSBC Champions so the sports betting odds are hinting that their should be a new winner crowned this weekend.
Past Five Winners
2015: Russell Knox -20
2014: Bubba Watson -11 (Playoff)
2013: Dustin Johnson -24
2012: Ian Poulter -21 (Mission Hills)
2011: Martin Kaymer -20
What To Know About The Course
The Shenshan International will serve as a WGC host for the 11th time in 12 editions so familiarity should play a role in the outcome of this event. The long holes could hold the key to success as it did with Knox’s win here a year ago. This tournament is usually a birdie fest but we saw in 2014 that the weather conditions could have a tremendous impact. There is usually a considerable amount of rain and wind in the forecast around this time of the year so it will be interesting to see what kind of impact the conditions have on the outcome of this event.
The Field
The field for this week’s tournament is absolutely loaded with world No. 2 Dustin Johnson, FedEx Cup champion Rory McIlroy and the sparkplug for the US Ryder Cup team Patrick Reed set to headline. McIlroy is listed as the sports betting favorite at +500 odds while Johnson is available at +600 followed by Hideki Matsuyama at +2000. Henrik Stenson, Adam Scott, Paul Casey and Justin Thomas are all projected to contend as well. There is some value available if you want to bet on either of the past two winners to repeat here as Knox and Bubba Watson are both listed at +4000 odds to win outright.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Martin Kaymer over Henrik Stenson
Stenson won The Open Championship and then delivered another top-10 finish at the PGA Championship but he wasn’t outstanding in his last two PGA starts and he struggled here a year ago when he finished 24th at the HSBC Champions. Meanwhile, Kaymer has been outstanding at this tournament in the past and he should have a significant edge at this venue. Kaymer is in strong enough form this week that we expect him to contend for a top-five finish and there is strong value betting on him to finish with a better score than Stenson in the head-to-head sports betting matchup.
Top-Five Pick: Rory McIlroy
McIlroy has taken a few weeks off to recharge the batteries after the Ryder Cup so there is every reason to expect him to bring his best to the table this week. McIlroy has played here four times and he is finished in the top-11 in each of them including three top-six finishes so we are confident that he can contend for a top-five spot. The value might not be incredible betting on the sports betting favorite to win this event outright but we are confident that he will deliver a strong performance with a chance to very well win the WGC-HSBC Champions.
Top 10 Odds From The WGC-HSBC
Rory McIlroy +505
Dustin Johnson +550
Hideki Matsuyama +1650
Henrik Stenson +1850
Justin Thomas +1850
Paul Casey +2050
Adam Scott +2250
Patrick Reed +3050
Sergio Garcia +3050
Ryan Moore +3250
