– Last Updated on November 20, 2022 10:10 pm
2016 WGC HSBC Champions Preview and Picks
Ready to bet this week on the 2016 WGC HSBC Champions Odds? The 2016 WGC comes our way this week from Sheeshan International Golf Club in Shanghai, China – this week and represents the last time some of the best golfers will tee it up in 2016. A field of 78 including sixteen of the world’s top 20, eighteen of the combined Ryder Cup teams will tee it up on Sheeshan International’s par 72, 7,261 yard track.
2016 WGC HSBC Champions
When October 27th to October 30th, 2016
Where: Sheshan International GC, Shanghai, CHN
Prize Pool: $9,500,000 ($1,620,000 for first)
Defending Champion: Russel Knox
Updated Sportsbook Bonuses For Today
2016 WGC HSBC Champions Handicapping
The fairways are generous here and the greens are quite large as well. Hitting those greens and putting well will be crucial this week as will accuracy off the tee.
20 under par seems to be the benchmark for winning on this track – the winner will have to go low.
So, with that in mind who should we be keeping an extra eye on this week. Let’s take a look.
2016 WGC HSBC Champions Favorites:
Rory McIlroy +500
Will tee it up for the first time since an OK run at the Ryder Cup. Before that he was scorching winning two of the last three FedEx Cup Playoff events and claiming the $10 million prize for winning the Cup.
He has never finished worse that 11th here in five trips and have averaged 68.70 strokes per round over that span. He’s one of the best all-around players on the planet and enters with some momentum on his side.
Dustin Johnson +550
PGA TOUR’s Player of the Year won this event in 2015 and tied for fifth last year – track history is certainly on his side.
His scoring average is better than Rory’s – he has averaged 66.89 strokes here in his last nine rounds and was the best on the PGA TOUR in scoring average last year.
He has a little momentum on his side as well – a win at the BMW Championship wasn’t too long ago.
Henrik Stenson +2000
Had a meniscus issue at the Ryder Cup where he went a pedestrian 2-3-0. He was T11 here last year but I am choosing to stay away based on current form and the injury issue.
Hideki Matsuyama +2000
Matsuyama may be the hottest player in the world right now – he enters on the heels of three straight top 5 finishes which includes a win at the Japan Open and a second place finish last week at the CIMB Classic.
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On a track that rewards ball striking, expect Matsuyama to be in the mix despite a T41 being his best finish here.
2016 WGC HSBC Champions Contenders:
Paul Casey +2200
Casey is yet another guy that has been Hot as of late – he enters off back-to-back top 25s – tying for third at the Safeway Open and for 21st at the CIMB Classic.
He has not finished outside the top 23 in his last four appearances here and had six top 15s on this track between 2005 and 2011. Current form and track history have Casey on the radar this week.
Justin Thomas +2200
His win last week at the CIMB Classic followed a T8 the week before and a T6 at East Lake – impressive. He debuted here last year and finished T27 but his affinity for scoring on par 5s and eating up par 72 tracks is noteworthy for sure.
Sergio Garcia +3000
Finished fourth here in 2013 and T11 last year – he also posted a victory on this track in 2008. He was ninth in total driving last season and ended up sixth in GIR – great attributes for this track.
He enters off a T17 last week at the CIMB Classic. Garcia is always on the radar but has the stats and the course history to be extra-motivated this week.
Bubba Watson +3500
Won this event two years ago and enters having quietly finished inside the top 25 in five of his last six starts including a T10 at the Tour Championship and a T8 at the Olympics.
Bubba was terrific here two years ago – let’s see if he can re-discover this magic.
Martin Kaymer +3500
2011 champ has posted 10 top 20 finishes in his last 12 starts overall – eight top 15s in his last 10. He has posted four top 10s in this event and shot an incredible 62 here in 2013.
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Kaymer hasn’t won on TOUR in 20 months but has a chance to snap that streak on arguably his favorite track.
Russel Knox +4500
The defending champ had 11 top 25s last year including a win at the Travelers Championship. He was T10 last week at the CIMB Championship but has otherwise been just OK on TOUR.
2016 WGC HSBC Champions Sleepers (+5000 of higher):
Alex Noren +5000
Swedish up-and-coming superstar has three wins in his last eight starts on the European Tour. His game is hitting fairways and greens and he’s obviously thrived lately. If you are looking for a somewhat unfamiliar name on North American soil Noren might be it.
Louis Oosthuizen +5000
Played well down the stretch of last season’s PGA TOUR season – five straight top 25s and he does have three top 15s on this track in five appearances. Louis can hit greens and that is what is crucial here.
2016 WGC HSBC Champions Picks:
Hard not to go with Rory McIlroy at +500 this week – he only finished outside the top six once in his past five starts in this event and had been sizzling before taking a bit of a break after the Ryder Cup.
The Sleeper this week is a player that is a veteran of nine career starts on this track – Louis Oosthuizen at +5000 gets the call. Not only has he played this course a ton, he’s had success with six top 15 finishes.
Golf handicapper DAVE B weighs in each week with his top selections. Including top picks and sleepers!
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