The PGA Tour concludes its three-tournament swing through Asia this week with the 15th playing of the WGC HSBC Champions at Shenshan International Golf Club in China. This year also marks the 11th time the event will be contested as part of the WGC calendar. With the Tour already in Asia a number of top-ranked golfers will participate, including defending champion Xander Schaufele and the man he defeated in a playoff last year Tony Finau. OWGR No. 2 Rory McIlroy tops the 78-player, no-cut field as the betting favorite at offshore sportsbooks with Justin Rose the only other player with odds of 10/1 or shorter. Be sure to visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
Odds to Win WGC HSBC Champions at BookMaker.eu
Rory McIlroy +525
Justin Rose +950
Hideki Matsuyama +1025
Xander Schauffele +1250
Paul Casey +1550
Patrick Reed +1850
Tommy Fleetwood +1950
Tony Finau +2150
Sungjae Im +2550
Henrik Stenson +2850
Adam Scott +3350
Bernd Wiesberger +3450
Shane Lowry +3550
Matt Wallace +3550
Tyrrell Hatton +3775
Billy Horschel +4850
Cameron Smith +5050
Byeong Hun An +5250
Jordan Spieth +5450
Rafa Cabrera Bello +5550
Charles Howell III +5775
Matthew Fitzpatrick +6050
Corey Conners +6350
Francesco Molinari +6550
Adam Hadwin +6550
Danny Willett +6550
Louis Oosthuizen +6750
Haotong Li +7250
Ian Poulter +7350
Keegan Bradley +7350
Erik Van Rooyen +7550
Bubba Watson +7550
Sergio Garcia +7750
Andrew Putnam +7750
Robert MacIntyre +8050
Phil Mickelson +8550
Kurt Kitayama +9050
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +9050
Kevin Na +9550
Andrea Pavan +9550
Chez Reavie +9850
Jason Kokrak +10050
Abraham Ancer +10550
Matthias Schwab +10550
Odds Analysis
Hideki Matsuyama +1025
Is he on a current heater? Check. Is the course form solid? Check. It’s hard not to at least think about tossing down on Matsuyama considering what he’s done at the start of the season. He’s gotten progressively better since Napa, going T16 at the Shriners, T3 at the CJ Cup and finally a solo second at last week’s ZOZO Championship. The sequence has him lined up for a ‘1’, and do you need any more convincing? Matsuyama was lights out here three years ago when he won by seven swings with a ridiculous 23-under. Ride him out and see what happens.
Tony Finau +2150
Maybe he was thinking ahead to this tournament since he enjoys playing here so much. That could explain his T59 in Japan last week. That outlier isn’t enough to scare me away and it likely helped with his odds. Keep in mind he did have back-to-back top-10s at the Alfred Dunhill Links (T10) and the Shriners (T9) before last week’s dip. And Finau has rocked Sheshan with a T11 and runner-up in his two starts, and he’ll take advantage of more open space this week.
Phil Mickelson +8550
I know, I know, why waste hard-earned green on a guy who appears to be washed up. Well, one reason is what just happened last week with Tiger hitting the links and coming away with a victory. Mickelson isn’t Woods, but he’s just as accomplished and still has some fuel in the tank. And when Lefty likes a layout, he really likes it. Sheshan has been good to him yielding a pair of victories along with two top-15s in his last two visits. And with his odds I’m losing money if I don’t throw a few bills down on him.
Bernd Wiesberger +3450
I’ve had some good fortune with Wiesberger recently on the Euro Tour and he’s replenished my account several times, so I’m sticking with him until he cools off. It’s a risk backing him since he has only one top-10 in 47 PGA Tour starts, but that one was a T9 here in 2017, so he has that going for him. He also has three wins this year, the last just a few weeks ago in Italy to move to the top of the Race to Dubai standings.
Patrick Reed +1850
Reed has displayed erratic course form, but he’s been on a heater since his Jedi mind trick to simplify his game and not over think his shots. His PGA Tour season debut resulted in a T17 last week, his 11th top-25 in 12 starts across the different Tours. He stayed sharp on the Euro Tour with a T15 at the KLM Open and a T4 at the BMW PGA Championship and some of his better rounds have taken place at Sheshan.
Course: Sheshan International Golf Club – 7,261-yards, Par-72
One of China’s most exclusive courses, Sheshan International has hosted every playing of this tournament except for the 2012 edition, which was contested at Mission Hills. In good conditions the course plays easy for the pros. And we are expecting Mother Nature to be on the side of the players and not the course this weekend. That means we could have a winning score pushing 20-under, which isn’t uncommon. Three years ago Matsuyama won at -23 and Dustin Johnson was a -24 winner in 2013. Accuracy is crucial off the tee with thick rough surrounding the fairways. Hit the ball in the tall stuff and the score can climb in a hurry. The course is also rewarding to heavy hitters with several reachable par 5s in play.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel
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