WGC-HSBC Championship Expert Picks
Event Preview
This marks the second time that this is an official event on the PGA Tour, but it has been on the European Tour since 2005. The event has been played at the Sheshan International Golf Course in Shanghai every year except for 2012. The Sheshan International Golf Course is a Par-72 that can stretch up to 7,266 yards. This is one of the easier courses on tour and features a very strong field which means we should see plenty of birdies this week. Last seasons winner, Dustin Johnson, shot a tournament-record 24-under par. With potential rain and cloudy skies in the forecast, golfers should be throwing darts into these greens once again.
Dustin Johnson over-powered this course last season, but distance off the tee isn’t a must. Greens in regulation and putting appear to be the two stats to heavily target this week with a small boost to those that can bomb it off the tee. With no cut and some great value plays, it looks like a great week to go with the stars and scrubs lineup approach.
DraftKings Fantasy Picks
TIER 1
Sergio Garcia: $11,500 – Garcia is the second most expensive golfer this week, but is the guy that I will be paying up for in all league formats. He’s coming off of a terrific finish at the CIMB Classic last week where he tied for 2nd. He had a chance to put pressure on Ryan Moore, but couldn’t find his ball off the tee on the Par-5 10th hole. Garcia now has Top-10 finishes in each of his last three starts worldwide. Garcia also has a track record at this event with a win in 2008 and a 4th place finish here last year.
Martin Kaymer: $10,300 – Kaymer may be flying under the radar a bit this week. Kaymer plays his best golf in big events as he won the Players Championship and the U.S. Open last season. He also has Top-23 finishes in each of his last three events. Kaymer has also played well on this track with three Top-10 finishes here in his last four tries. Kaymer is expensive, but should provide another strong finish this week.
TIER 2
Charl Schwartzel: $8,200 – Schwartzel is one of the most talented golfers in the world and is coming off of a T-19th finish at the CIMB Classic last week. That was his 17th Top-20 finish over the last 12 months. Schwartzel is fairly priced this week and should be able to crack another Top-20 finish as he has had great success at this course in the past with T-16th and T-4th finishes in his last two tries.
Bill Haas: $7,500 – Haas is as consistent as they come. He rarely ever misses a cut and always seems to play well in events that feature a strong field. At $7,500, he is a golfer that provides little risk with sizable reward. In his last three tries at this event, he has posted T-21st, T-42nd, and T-21st finishes. Haas ranked 15th in greens and fringe in regulation last season which is an important stat to target this week
Lee Westwood: $7,200 – Westwood is rounding into form with four Top-20 finishes in his last start including a T-13th place finish last week at the CIMB Classic. Westwood lost in a playoff here in 2007 and has posted Top-13 finishes in three of his last four tries at this event. His history on the course combined with his current form make him a terrific play at only $7,200.
TIER 3
Jason Dufner: $6,100 – Everyone loves the DUFF! After dealing with an injury at the end of the 2013-14 season, Dufner says that he is healthy and it showed in his T-26th place finish last week at the CIMB Classic. There are few players on tour that are as accurate as Dufner. That should come in handy on this week as this is a short track that yields a lot of birdies.
Ernie Els: $5,600 – Els is a very sneaky play this week. His odds to win are listed at 80/1, but he’s been playing well of late and has a great track record at this event. Els has made seven consecutive cuts with Top-16 finishes in four of those events. His history at this course gets even better as he has posted Top-11 finishes in three of his last four starts here.
Marc Leishman: $4,600 – Leishman seems under-priced at only $4,600 this week and I’m planning on taking advantage of it. Leishman is a terrific player that plays well on the big stage. He only managed a T-39th place finish last week, but he did finish with a 4-under par closing round. He ranked 77th in greens and fringe in regulation and I’m projecting him to finish in the top half of the field.