WGC HSBC Champions: Expert Preview

Event/Course Details

The HSBC Champions is one of my favorite events, it is a true global event, giving up and coming players the chance to perform on the worlds biggest stage. The governing bodies have granted spots to the Chinese, Japan Tour, Asian Tour, Sunshine Tour and Australasian Tour.

The field will be exceptionally strong with the majority of the Top 50 on the world golf rankings competing and the course will be in outstanding condition.

The golf club features beautiful tree-lined fairways, calm waterways, and a spectacular quarry. Featuring well placed bunkers along with, deep collection areas, water features and undulating greens, this Nelson & Haworth designed layout will be a true test for all players.

Weather Report

Thursday – Scattered Showers, 23 Degrees, Precipitation 40%, Humidity 64%, Wind 19km/h

Friday – Scattered Showers, 22 Degrees, Precipitation 40%, Humidity 54%, Wind 27km/h

Past Winners and Runners Up

Current Form Review

Poor Form*- Players Averaging over par – Patrick Reed enters this week with the worst current form, he was also very average at the Ryder Cup. Despite his 10^th placing last week, Ian Poulter is also not far behind, with a string of poor form recent results.

Good Form** – Brooks Koepka, Billy Horschel, Justin Rose, Tony Finau and Hideki Matsuyama lead the way of players in good form.

History at the event - Last 3 years

Good History at Event – Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson have the strongest form at this event

Poor History at Event – Adam Scott has played the previous 3 years at this event and has struggled to finish top 10.

My Rankings for the Tour Championship

You can compare my rankings against the Betfair Market to find under the odds and over’s

“The Big Overs” – Eddie Pepperell, Billy Horschel, Emiliano Grillo, Thorbjorn Olesen

 “The Big Under’s” – John Rahm, Jason Day, Francesco Molinari

Compare my prices to the Betfair market, to find outright betting “overs” and “under’s”, and also apply these odds to top 5, top 10, top 20, tournament match bets etc.

In Play Trading Opportunities

Assess the scores after Day 1 and if the tournament is low scoring then apply my trading strategies mentioned in previous articles. “Laying” morning player with a good scoring and “Re-Backing” before commencing round 2.

I will be playing the Par 5’s this week as I usually always do. If I see the leading players in a good position on the fairway, I will be inclined to place a “back” bet and then place a “lay” bet once the hole is completed, particularly if they have an iron into the green and the green is not heavily surrounded by trouble.

Note – 75% of leaders that lead by a shot entering the final round don’t win, and they average worse than the PGA Tour average. This can be a great strategy for 2 ball match betting and laying the leader in play, but only if they are below $3.

Difficult driving holes and players with poor driving accuracy percentages. If they find themselves in contention, lay tee-shots and re-back after the ball comes to rest.