2019 HSBC Champions Betting Odds & Picks: Will Matsuyama Break Through in Shanghai?

2019 HSBC Champions Betting Odds & Picks: Will Matsuyama Break Through in Shanghai? article feature image
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Matt Roberts-USA TODAY Sports. Pictured: Hideki Matsuyama.

  • The HSBC Champions tournament tees off this Thursday.
  • Rory McIlroy is the favorite, but Hideki Matsuyama figures to be in the mix.
  • Josh Perry gives his betting card for this weekend.

The PGA Tour heads to a familiar stop in Shanghai, China this week for the WGC-HSBC Champions event.

The field isn't as deep this week as it was in Japan, but we still have a lot of stars for the first World Golf Championship of the 2019-20 season.


Odds as of Monday evening. Check out PointsBet, where Action Network users can access an exclusive promotion to get a 200% deposit match (deposit $50, bet with $150).


The Course

Sheshan International Golf Club has been the only home for this event over the last decade. It's a par 72 that measures a little over 7,200 yards.

A strong game off the tee has usually been a requirement. Past winners since it became an official PGA Tour event include Xander Schauffele one year ago, along with Justin Rose, Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson.

Shorter hitters can compete though, because if bombers aren't totally dialed in, water hazards and tricky rough loom off the fairways. I'll be looking more at the total driving mode with a strong approach game this week.

We've seen Hideki Matsuyama win here and Henrik Stenson took second twice. With all the names we've mentioned, it's a great tee to green game and putting is distance second. The greens haven't proved to be much of a test to ball strikers who avoid trouble.

Also keep in mind the first tee is at 8:45 p.m. ET on Wednesday night.


The Favorites

Rory McIlroy is at the top of the odds, opening at +600. He was third last week in Japan and has four top six finishes here in his career, so he's a real threat to take this down.

Matsuyama is next line at +1200 after a second-place finish in his home country. Hideki has been playing well for a few months and does have a win here. I'll steer clear this week, but he's poised for something big this season. He's on my major radar.

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Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports. Pictured: Hideki Matsuyama

I think he does something big this year. Maybe it's that major breakthrough, maybe it's the Olympics in 2020, but if wasn't for a vintage Tiger performance, we'd be talking about Hideki pulling away from a strong field with the weight of Japan on his shoulders in the country's first PGA event. I haven't figured out where I want to back him yet, but I'll have something in 2020.

Schauffele and Rose, the past two champs, are the other golfers below that +2000 range at +1600. The rest of the top group includes past runners up Tony Finau and Henrik Stenson in the +2500 range.


The Mid Tier

My card begins with a trio of in-form Euros, all coming in at +4000.

Matt Wallace, Bernd Wiesberger and Tyrrell Hatton are all coming into the event with their games where they need to be to compete here.

Wallace has finished inside the top 15 in four of his past five events. Hatton was sixth just two weeks ago at the CJ Cup while leading the field in GIR. Wiesberger has already cashed for us in 2019 at the Scottish Open and won his last start three weeks ago.

Overall, all three are solid off the tee. Wallace is a little longer than Hatton and Wiesberger, but tee to green is the strong suit for all three. We'll just be waiting to see if the putter heats up for any of them.


The Longshots

This hasn't really been a long shot course. The stars tend to shine here.

One guy I'll look at for a top 20 though is Zecheng 'Marty' Dou. Dou should be comfortable in his home country. He's coming off a second place finish in China last week on the Challenge Tour.

He also has a Korn Ferry win under his belt. He has yet to make a big impact on either of the two bigger tours, but the form is in good shape and being close to home should suit him.

He's 250-1 this week, so the top 20 odds should be at least +500 for us.


The HSBC Champions Card

  • Matt Wallace +4000 (.83 units)
  • Tyrrell Hatton +4000 (.83 units)
  • Bernd Wiesberger +4000 (.83 units)
  • Marty Dou Top 20 (1 unit)

Total Stake: 3.48 units [In New Jersey? Bet now at PointsBet]

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