After a truly astonishing achievement at the Zozo Championship which saw Tiger Woods secure his 82nd PGA Tour victory and tie Sam Snead's record for the most wins on the PGA Tour, this week the players visit Shanghai for the WGC HSBC Champions.
Admittedly, the HSBC Champions is probably the least exciting of all the WGC events held year-round, but it still gives us the opportunity to see Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama, Xander Schauffele, Justin Rose and a host of other top names battling it out at this late stage in the calendar year.
The reason for the lack of excitement is not only because of the late tee-times here in the UK due to the time difference, but the field is dramatically weaker than the other current WGC events, not to mention the fact that the event could do with a new venue to spice things up.
Nevertheless, plenty of history at this course means a good opportunity to track course form and that is exactly the reason why McIlroy is resounding favourite at 6/1 with Bet365.
In eight visits to Sheshan Golf Club, the Northern Irishman has finished in the top six five times, and outside of the top 11 only once. And considering the world number two played his final three rounds in -15 last week in Japan, he is in fine form heading to China.
Being the standout player in China and him having the opportunity to win the only WGC event that's eluded him so far, McIlroy is hot favourite to win this week and is by far the best player in this field if he puts together four rounds like he can do when he's on song.
But with his slim price and it being that time of the year where many have just returned from a break, including himself, the value is surely elsewhere.
Therefore my first pick for this week is Tony Finau (22/1), who finished second last year, losing in a play-off, and T11 the previous year on his first visit to Sheshan.
This course is undoubtedly suited to long, straight drivers of the golf ball, and someone who certainly fits that profile is Finau. Ranking ninth in driving distance and 23rd in strokes gained: off-the-tee last season on the PGA Tour, the American is an impressive and long driver of the golf ball.
Moreover, although he has been unable to build on his lone PGA Tour victory at the Puerto Rico Open in 2025, he has been playing some excellent golf for almost three years now. In 2025, since a disappointing missed cut at the US Open, he has recorded a third at The Open, fourth at the BMW Championship, T10 at the Alfred Dunhill Links and T9 at the Shriners.
Finau's inability to get it over the line on so many occasions may be too hard to look by for many, and understandably, but it is surely only a matter of time before he wins given his consistency.
BET | Tony Finau @ 22/1 (Outright) with Bet365
With the idea of long driving being the optimal approach and best way to conquer this golf course, it brings me to my next pick, Bubba Watson (110/1).
You can never know what to expect from Watson, but one thing is for sure, when he finds a course that he likes, he is capable of putting on a performance when he returns.
Two-time winner at the Masters, two-time winner at the Northern Trust Open, and three-time winner of the Travelers Championship more than back up that statement.
His form is poor at best with just one top 10 since the Valspar back in March and five missed cuts mean he is a man that many would fairly obviously dismiss as having any chance of winning this week. But, ranking sixth in driving distance on the PGA Tour last season and being a previous winner of this event, he is most definitely worth a stab at his generous price.
BET | Bubba Watson @ 90/1 (Outright) with Bet365
Looking past the driving distance, Byeong-hun An (35/1) is a man in particularly good form with four top 10s in his last nine starts and two of those being his last two outings at the CJ Cup and Zozo Championship.
However, his indifferent form at Sheshan makes it hard to make a case for the Korean and therefore means he is left off of this particular staking plan, although it would be no surprise to see him near the top of the leaderboard once again.
Similarly, Hideki Matsuyama (12/1) performed extremely well in front of a home crowd in Japan when he could have crumbled and looks likely to contend again this week. But, his conversion rate doesn't quite justify his short price and means I will look elsewhere for a final pick.
The third and final pick for this week is Patrick Reed (28/1) who led after round one here last year.
His record at Sheshan has mostly been good with two top 10s and a top 25, but more importantly his general form has been incredible for quite a while now. Finishing outside the top 25 just once in his last 12 starts, Reed has been playing some fantastic golf and shown he can travel well too, posting two of those top 25s outside of the US.
BET | Patrick Reed @ 28/1 (Outright) with Bet365
Following his Masters victory, Reed has been rather disappointing more often than not, failing to really kick on since winning his first major championship. But, 18 months on he looks to have re-found that rich vein of form that led to his victory at Augusta, and there's no reason to suggest he couldn't add a second WGC to his trophy cabinet at the end of this week.
Freelance writer/tipster bringing you tips on each week’s golf events. Previous for Golf Monthly, Daily Mail and #TheClub.