The world’s best golfers will gather this week in Shanghai, China, for the first of four World Golf Championship events. They’ll be competing for the WGC-HSBC Champions trophy on the 7,261-yard, par-72 Sheshan International Golf Club. With the stakes higher and the purse larger, many of the top players in the world are set to make an appearance, and that includes the top three in the Official World Golf Rankings and four of the top five. At +625 Dustin Johnson is the betting favorite. DJ just lost his No. 1 ranking to Brooks Koepka, who followed up being named PGA Tour Player of the Year with a win last week at the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges. Koepka opened at +825, slightly ahead of world No. 3 and defending champ Justin Rose ( +925 ).
WGC-HSBC Champions Matchup Odds
Billy Horschel +112 vs. Keegan Bradley -142
Patrick Cantlay -135 vs. Alexander Noren +105
Tyrrell Hatton -129 vs. Rafael Cabrera Bello -101
Jon Rahm +103 vs. Paul Casey -133
Dustin Johnson -118 vs. Brooks Koepka -112
Tommy Fleetwood -126 vs. Francesco Molinari -104
Byeong Hun An -116 vs. Kyle Stanley -114
Rory McIlroy -154 vs. Jason Day +124
Tony Finau -108 vs. Francesco Molinari -121
Tommy Fleetwood -126 vs. Tony Finau -104
Dustin Johnson -120 vs. Justin Rose -110
Lucas Bjerregaard -138 vs. Eddie Pepperell +108
Jason Day -115 vs. Hideki Matsuyama -115
Brooks Koepka -113 vs. Justin Rose -117
Rory McIlroy -154 vs. Hideki Matsuyama +124
Need To Know
Sheshan International has hosted the event for all but one year since its inception in 2005, so most of the field is familiar with the layout. Tree-lined fairways and thick rough come into play off the tee box, but the fairways are wide giving players the freedom to bomb away. In good conditions the course plays easy and we’re expecting Mother Nature to comply, so a score of -20 or better could win this thing. Water comes into play on a number of holes, but overall it’s an easy test. While accuracy is important, the course is rewarding to the heavy hitters with several reachable par 5s in play.
WGC-HSBC Champions Matchup Picks
Dustin Johnson -120 vs. Justin Rose
These two battled head-to-head down the stretch at last year’s event with Johnson blowing a six-shot lead in the final round to succumb. The conditions were terrible on that Sunday with only one player breaking 70. That one player was Rose who navigated the course to a 67, making up eight-shots on the third-round leader to win by two swings. DJ is still perturbed about that epic meltdown and also losing the No. 1 ranking to Koepka, and that should be enough to vault him into a top spot. Outside of last year’s final round, DJ has performed will on this course with a win in 2014 and two top-5s in three starts since.
Tony Finau -104 vs. Tommy Fleetwood
Finau’s game is well suited for the Sheshan course and the short odds are a plus. He ranked in the top-10 on the Tour in driving distance and scoring accuracy, both of which come into play here. If he continues to be successful in those areas, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t have a low score and contend for the title. Recent form also suggests a victory isn’t far off. He tied for 11th in his first start on this course and he’s placed among the top-15 in every start since the PGA Championship. Fleetwood, on the other hand, has just been too inconsistent lately to back with any confidence.
Lucas Bjerregaard -138 vs. Eddie Pepperell
Making his course and tournament debut shouldn’t be an issue for Bjerregaard. The big-hitting Dane has been stellar in recent events with a win, runner-up and a pair of top-9s in his last five starts. Long-ball hitters have fared well in the past at Sheshan and Bjerregaard can certainly hit the ball a long way. He should score well on the short par 5s and par 4s as long as the putter cooperates.
Golf Betting Odds
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