The 2016 WGC-HSBC Champions has its strongest field to date with 43 of the top 50 players in the official world rankings confirmed for the tournament in Shanghai this week. The field is solid with eight of the world’s top ten, all of this year’s Major winners and 19 participants from the The Ryder Cup.
World No. 2 and 2016 US Open Champion Dustin Johnson +550, who last week was awarded the 2016 PGA TOUR Player of the Year headlines the star-studded field.
The field includes European Ryder Cup stars Henrik Stenson +2000, Rory McIlroy +500, Sergio Garcia +3000 Thomas Pieters +5000, Rafael Cabrera Bello +6000, Martin Kaymer +3500, Matt Fitzpatrick +8500, Danny Willett +5000, Lee Westwood and Chris Wood +10000 along with victorious US Ryder Cup team members, JB Holmes +8000, Brooks Koepka +4000, Ryan Moore +3500, and Rickie Fowler +4000.
Willett, Stenson and McIlroy are currently the top three ranked players in the European Tour’s Race to Dubai, with the WGC-HSBC Champions the last event before the 2016 Finals Series.
Other standouts include Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama +1800, England’s Paul Casey +2200 and South African Major Champions Louis Oosthuizen +5000 and Charl Schwartzel +5000. Scotland’s Russell Knox +4000 has his work cut as he aims to defend his title against a world-class gathering that is loaded with talent.
Sheshan International Golf Club will host the event for the seventh consecutive season. The course measures 7,266 yards and plays to a par 72. Opened in 2004, Tiger Woods once called the course “the crowning jewel of all of Asian golf.” To create the layout’s drastic elevation changes, work crews reportedly moved more than 2 million cubic yards of earth. That’s a lot of earth!
TV Coverage: Wednesday-Saturday, 11 p.m.-4 a.m. ET - Golf Channel.
WGC - HSBC Champions Golf Odds courtesy of BookMaker Sportsbook:
Rory McIlroy +500
Dustin Johnson +550
Hideki Matsuyama +1800
Henrik Stenson +2000
Paul Casey +2200
Adam Scott +2500
Justin Thomas +2500
Patrick Reed +3000
Sergio Garcia +3000
Bubba Watson +3500
Martin Kaymer +3500
Ryan Moore +3500
Brooks Koepka +4000
Rickie Fowler +4000
Russell Knox +4000
Bernd Wiesberger +4500
Alex Noren +5000
Charl Schwartzel +5000
Danny Willett +5000
Francesco Molinari +5000
Matt Kuchar +5000
Louis Oosthuizen +5000
Ross Fisher +5000
Thomas Pieters +5000
Rafa Cabrera-Bello +6000
Branden Grace +6000
Daniel Berger +6000
Emiliano Grillo +6000
Jimmy Walker +6500
Kevin Chappell +6600
Kevin Na +7000
Scott Piercy +7000
Tyrrell Hatton +7000
Si Woo Kim +7000
Byeong Hun An +7200
Alexander Levy +8000
J.B. Holmes +8000
Kevin Kisner +8500
Matthew Fitzpatrick +8500
Scott Hend +8500
Bill Haas +10000
Andrew Johnston +10000
Chris Wood +10000
Gary Woodland +10000
Joost Luiten +10000
Shane Lowry +10000
Roberto Castro +10000
Soren Kjeldsen +10000
Richard Sterne +10500
Sean O’Hair +10500
FIELD - Any Other Player +750
ODDS ANALYSIS
Alex Noren +5000 has three wins in his last eight starts. He has climbed to No. 20 in the world in the process and to the fourth spot in the Race to Dubai standings. Not many players have won three times on any tour in 2016. If the Swede notches another win, he could finish as Europe’s No.1. He hasn’t had much success in China in past years, but the former Oklahoma State star has never played this well and at +5000, he offers gamers the best VALUE on the board.
FADE: Henrik Stenson +2000 is one of the best players in the world, but his track record at this tournament is poor. He’s played it five times and not had a top 10. Very unusual for the Swede who is generally very consistent. His form is not what we are used to seeing and he will likely be paired up against Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson in the golf matchups. Stenson only managed two points out of five at the Ryder Cup and many forget that he didn’t even qualify for the Tour Championship. FADE Stenson this week!
FLIER: Tyrrell Hatton +7000 is quietly having a banner year on the European Tour. The Englishman is just one of five men on this year’s Race to Dubai with over 2 million points and he’s done most of his damage in the last seven weeks. It includes a first European Tour win at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, second in the Scottish Open, T5 in the Open Championship and T10 in the PGA Championship. Hatton is red hot and a player to keep your eye on this week and in the future. He’s a stud!
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker sportsbook. The World Golf Championships - HSBC Champions is scheduled for October 27-30, 2016. Sheshan International Golf Club will host the event and the Golf Channel will televise it live.
