The PGA Tour concludes its Asian Swing with the WGC-HSBC Champions at Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai. … With the European Tour taking a week’s hiatus from the schedule, this event attracts many more regulars from that tour. A WGC event will always attract top players, but this event is skipped by a fair share of top players due to its spot on the schedule. Only three of the OWGR Top 10 are in action this week: Rory McIlroy (No. 2), Justin Rose (No. 8), Xander Schauffele (No. 9).
McIlroy, who was two shots better than last week’s ZOZO Championship winner Tiger Woodsܫ over the last 54 holes and has finished sixth or better here on four occasions, is the favorite at 11/2 at William Hill. He’s followed in the market by Hideki Matsuyama, last week’s runner-up to Woods and a victor here in 2016, at 10/1. The event’s defending champion, Xander Schauffele is 15/1. Two Englishmen round out the top five choices with Justin Rose at 16/1 and Tommy Fleetwood at 20/1.
The plays
Hideki Matsuyama (10/1): He was third at the CJ C🌊up in South Korea and second last week at the ZOZO Championship in his native Japan so a first is the last logical progression for the Asian Swing. Matsuyama fell short in chasing down Woods but ranked No. 1 in the field last week in putting average, t🦋he one real weakness in his game.
Tony Finau (25/1): Finau lost in a playoff here last year to Schauffele. He currently ranks first on the PGA Tour in driving distance (335 yards) and first in strokes gained: tee to green (+3.402 per round), Finau also finished ninth in the Presidents Cup standings, so he’s hoping to impress captain Woods and earn a pick onto t⛄he team for December.
Tyrrell Hatton (40/1): He’s currently trending nicely with finishes of 15th (Dunhill Links), 1🧸8th (Italian Open) and sixth (CJ Cu🐈p). In his last start in South Korea, Hatton posted a 90.3 percent greens-in-regulation figure. The Englishman has rated sixth and eighth, respectively in putting average during his last two trips here.
Keegan Bradley (80/1): The long-hitting Bradley was sixth here last year and ended up tied for 13th last week after appearing on t💮he first page of the leaderboard for most of the event.
Bubba Watson (100/1): A former winner her✅e in 2014, Watson always has taken a liking to this track that not only rewards his big hitting off the tee but his creativity in the shaping of shots. He had three sub-70 rounds before a final round 75 tumbled him down the leaderboard last week. Watson is also a player who has tended to show whe꧑n you least expect it.