Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – WGC-HSBC Champions

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the WGC-HSBC Champions

WGC-HSBC Champions Fantasy Preview

He’s back, ya know.

In the space of time between his historic Masters triumph and taking to the tee at the ZOZO Championship last week, Tiger Woods had played in just six events – banking a solitary top-10 return.

The big cat had gone into hibernation.

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But he took some time off to sort out a variety of ailments to back and knee, maybe work on a few swing tweaks, and roared back to his customary form in Japan’s maiden PGA TOUR event.

Tiger did things like he’s always done: reaching a level nobody else could muster. Beset by delays, monsoon-like conditions and a whole day’s play being wiped out, Woods still won from wire-to-wire with the minimum of fuss. Any doubts about his health can be swiftly kicked to the curb.

And you will have already read the headlines, but here goes anyway: his latest triumph, the 82nd of his career, ties him up with the great Sam Snead at the head of the list of all-time wins.

Will Tiger take the record? Surely it’s a matter of when, not if, should he stay fit and healthy.

He won’t be breaking out this week at the WGC-HSBC Champions having decided to opt out of the Chinese jaunt, but there’s still a high-quality field that will meet at the Sheshan International club near Shanghai.

Last Week’s Fantasy Results

Our top guy last week was JT, fresh off his win the previous week at the CJ Cup. Although he hung tough, he fell to T17 and never made a move back towards Tiger.  

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Corey Connors was a breath of fresh air for us finishing T6.   

Even though we didn’t run with Tiger last week, we still off to a good start this season 4 of 7 winners picked.   

The WGC-HSBC Champions Field

There is a decent mix of players heading to China for this third and final leg of the Asian Swing, although given the qualification criteria it is slightly disappointing that may have opted out – whether that’s for ideological reasons, we can only speculate.

Rory McIlroy, given a rousing reception in Japan last week, takes the headline honors alongside the in-form Hideki Matsuyama and defending champion Xander Schauffele.

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They will be joined by major winners in Justin Rose, Francesco Molinari, Shane Lowry, Adam Scott and Patrick Reed, while Tommy Fleetwood and fellow Englishman Paul Casey will be looking to add another W to their resumé.

Tony Finau, a play-off loser 12 months ago, will be looking to go one better this time around, while the home charge will be led by Bai Zheng-Kai, a winner on the Challenge Tour last week, and Haotong Li.

This Week’s Course Preview

After a series of renovations in 2016, we’re still getting to grips with the ‘new’ Sheshan International.

Holes were lengthened, bunkers were added and the greens remodeled to add complexity to the challenge that lies in wait, and where winning scores were reaching -23 prior to the changes now -14 has gotten the job done in each of the last two editions.

And what’s more, you could get to T7 with a total of -5 last year – that’s how well Schauffele and Finau played to get to their field-leading tally.

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That said, each of the four Par 5s is highly scoreable, while the sixteenth is a drivable Par 4. This is a classy golf course where some holes are about taking your medicine – including the four Par 3s, of which a trio are 190+ yards – and others are about making hay.

You’ll find Sheshan International in a mountainous region not far from Shanghai, and it remains as one of the most exclusive pieces of golf estate in Asia.

A shade over 7,250 yards for its Par 72, Sheshan International is a beautifully lush and green track featuring plenty of native trees and water in-play on eleven holes.

The fairways feature the Seashore Paspalum grass native to this neck of the woods, while the greens – many of which are raised and undulating – are Bentgrass.

For fans of such things, Sheshan International was designed by the Nelson & Haworth combination, who were also responsible for the layout at TPC Kuala Lumpar – host of the seemingly-now defunct CIMB Classic.

Weather Forecast for Shanghai, China

The consolation for anyone still drying themselves out from the ZOZO Championship is that there shouldn’t be any more rain in Shanghai this week.

Indeed, the forecast is set very fair, with sunny spells and cloud with temperatures tickling 75°F.

There isn’t much wind to speak of either, with the breeze a gentle 8-10 mph across the four days of action.

Last Year’s Results for the WGC-HSBC Champions

In the end, it was a case of what might have been for Tony Finau.

Yes, he won the Puerto Rico Open a few years ago, but the big man longs for a ‘proper’ PGA TOUR title and his chances have not come much better than the opportunity that presented itself here 12 months ago.

Holding a three-shot lead, Finau really ought to have closed out the W but in the face of a premium chasing pack – Justin Rose, Patrick Reed and Schauffele were on his heels – he buckled.

In the end, a one-under par 71 was enough to get him into a play-off with the fast finishing Schauffele, whose extra momentum saw him sweep to a birdie on the first extra hole and that was enough to secure what was an emotional victory for the youngster – his mother is a Taiwanese native.

As for Finau, well, he’s still searching for that elusive win.

Highlights | Round 4 | HSBC Champions 2018

SUBSCRIBE to PGA TOUR now: http://pgat.us/vBxcZSh In the final round of the 2018 World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, Xander Schauffele wins his third PGA TOUR event after outlasting Tony Finau in a playoff hole. The World Golf Championships – HSBC Champions is contested at Sheshan International Golf Course in Shanghai, China.

Where to Play Fantasy Golf for WGC-HSBC Champions this Week

We’re coming up to the end of the Asian Swing, and so soon we will see a return to golf at more sociable hours of the day! Also, we’re coming to the end of the stretch of no cut events too, so let’s have one final dart in China before a return to more familiar fare in the near future.

• PGA $175k Best Ball: Let’s face it, the Asian Swing isn’t the best juncture of the season for DFS gamers, but we can still bow out with a bang here and for a relatively cheap buck too: $8 buy-in gets a shot at the $50k top prize and a total prize fund of a cool $175k.
• PGA $50k Club Twirl: We may as well have a shot at trying to win the $10k top prize here, and don’t forget this $44 buy-in contest serves up some handsome consolation payouts for lower finishes too.

This Week’s Fantasy Notes for the WGC-HSBC Champions

We are loathe to call Sheshan International a bomber’s track by any stretch of the imagination – there’s more nuance to it than that, but the bare stats suggest that driving distance is a factor this week.

Take Schauffele 12 months ago, who ranked seventh for DD while finding a measly 44% of fairways. Justin Rose, champion a year prior to that, recorded similar figures.

Now, the fairways aren’t all that difficult to find at this layout, so clearly there is an element of winding up the big stick and seeing where it takes you.

Of course, making birdies on the Par 5s is a premium at Sheshan, and the easiest Par 4s are the shorter ones, so that’s another idea that feeds into the ‘size matters’ policy here.

Otherwise, there’s not a huge amount for gamers to go on. Make some putts – obviously, shoot some birds while also avoiding trouble on the layout’s tougher holes.

And this is a WGC too, so it’s going to take a classy performer somewhere near the top of their game to take care of business.

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Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the WGC-HSBC Champions

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Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the WGC-HSBC Champions

Top Tier Pick: 

Xander Schauffele (Odds: 14/1, FPPG: 73.0, GPFP: 67.16 Salary: $10,800)

When you have a high-quality defending champion that has already proven his aptitude at a particular course, you’re looking for a decent tune-up from them before going in again.

And that’s exactly what Schauffele enjoyed at the ZOZO Championship last week, where a third round of 65 was the highlight of a T10 return.

At the age of 26, the world number nine has achieved an unbelievable amount, with a WGC win following eye-catching triumphs in the TOUR Championship and Tournament of Champions.

Schauffele has also finished inside the top-five of three of the four majors. He is a premium player who steps up his game on the big occasion, and that bodes very well for the defense of his title this week.

Key Stats:

• SG: Tee-to-Green – 11th
• Scoring Average – 11th
• SG: Putting – 46th

Mid-Tier Pick #1:  

Patrick Reed (Odds: 30/1, FPPG: 77.2, GPFP: 69.45 Salary: $9,600)

If we’re going with the long drive, scramble and putt theme this week, then Patrick Reed comes onto the radar.

This is his kind of challenge, highlighted by a pair of top-10s in his last four trips, and there’s enough form in the ledger to suggest he can challenge once more.

In his last 14 starts, Reed’s worst finish is T36. His best? First place at The Northern Trust, as well as two other top-fives and a solo tenth in the British Open.

Perennially under the radar, Reed has the class to bolt up in these WGC events, and he will probably be low-owned here too.

Key Stats:

• SG: Around-the-Green – 14th
• Scoring Average – 21st
• SG: Tee-to-Green – 39th

Mid-Tier Pick #2: 

Sergio Garcia (Odds: 55/1, FPPG: 78.6, GPFP: 78.60 Salary: $8,000)

These are curious baby steps of improvement for Sergio Garcia on the Asian Swing, having enhanced his T60 return at the CJ Cup to T33 in Japan last time out.

He found 70% of greens in regulation at the rain-hit event, and with the Spaniard striking his irons supremely well in recent months we’re willing to put some chips down on a former major champion in this high-quality field.

Garcia won this event back in 2008 before it gained WGC status, and all told he has won six times on the Asian continent. These are not conditions he dislikes.

Key Stats:

• SG: Tee-to-Green – 24th
• Scoring Average – 27th
• Driving Distance – 34th

Mid-Tier Pick #3: 

Adam Hadwin (Odds: 66/1, FPPG: 96.5, GPFP: 116.77 Salary: $7,500)

On the face of it, T41 was a fairly tame effort from Adam Hadwin at the ZOZO Championship.

But we’re willing to overlook a benign effort from the Canadian given all of the delays and the soaking wet conditions which, naturally, do not appeal to everyone.

Instead, let’s focus on the positives. Hadwin served up a pair of top-five finishes in his last starts prior to the Japan trip, and in both of those he was in fine fettle from tee-to-green.

A further check in the box is that he seems to perform well on more difficult tracks, having won on the Copperhead course and finished solo sixth at Bay Hill.

If Sheshan International plays as fairly as it has in the past couple of years, Hadwin could come into his own.

Key Stats:

• Scoring Average – 42nd
• SG: Putting – 45th
• Greens in Regulation – 69th

Low-Tier Pick: 

Keegan Bradley (Odds: 100/1, FPPG: 63.4, GPFP: 81.13 Salary: $7,000)

The former PGA Championship winner made 20 birdies in the ZOZO Championship last week – only Tiger made more.

It’s a sign that his game is getting back to the levels we would expect of a major champion and a BMW Championship winner, because all jokes about his putting aside Bradley is a premium performer from tee-to-green.

There is a lineage of flushers doing well at Sheshan International, with Schauffele and Tony Finau duking it out for honors last year and the likes of Justin Rose and Hideki Matsuyama prevailing prior to that.

Bradley, T6 here 12 months ago, also fits the bill.

Key Stats:

• Birdie Average – 14th
• SG: Tee-to-Green – 41st
• SG: Putting – 46th

Sleeper Pick for the WGC-HSBC Champions

Robert Macintyre (Odds: 90/1, FPPG: 65.9, GPFP: 54.05 Salary: $7,300)

Many fans of golf from outside of Europe will get their first glimpse of Robert Macintyre this week, and the Scot has definitely got what it takes to go a long way in the game.

He’s finished either T2 or solo second three times this season, with other top-five and ten finishes, and that shows both a consistency and a quality to his game.

The fact that he hasn’t got over the line yet and claimed that win will be enough to put some off, but there are different ways to win a golf tournament. Coming from off the pace allows those who are suspect under pressure to claim victory almost unbeknownst to them.

Macintyre is a left-hander who is comfortable shaping the ball both ways, and while he hasn’t played a huge amount of golf in Asia he is a former winner on the MENA Tour in the Middle East, which shows he is comfortable in unusual conditions.

Key Stats: N/A

Alternative Sleeper Pick for the WGC-HSBC Champions

Joost Luiten (Odds: 90/1, FPPG: 67.9, GPFP: 64.51 Salary: $7,100)

– When we talk about flushers who are elite with iron in hand, the European Tour doesn’t have many better than Joost Luiten.

The Dutchman is a fairly prolific champion on that Tour, and he also has previous in Asia having won the Oman Open and finished solo second in the Shenzhen International in China.

Luiten has finished no worse than T40 in any of his last eight starts, and while that might not sound all that impressive it’s a run that includes T32 in the British Open and T11 at the testing Le Golf National in the Open de France.

A strong performer at Valderrama, including other places, Luiten clearly isn’t troubled by tree-lined layouts.

Key Stats: N/A

This Week’s Sample DraftKings Lineup

Note: Sample lineups provided as examples only.  Be sure to mix-and-match players to best fit individual contests.

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Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2019-2020)

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”10.20%” bar_text=”5 out of 49 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent=”14.29%” bar_text=”7 out of 49 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 25s” percent=”28.57%” bar_text=”14 out of 49 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=”57.14%” bar_text=”4 out of 7 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”14.29%” bar_text=”1 out of 7 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”69.39%” bar_text=”34 out of 49 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

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