This article is part of our DraftKings PGA DFS Picks series.
WGC-HSBC CHAMPIONS
Purse: $8.5M
Winner's Share: $1.4M
FedEx Cup Points: 550 to the Winner
Location: Shanghai, China
Course: Sheshan International GC (West)
Yardage: 7,266
Par: 72
Defending Champion: Bubba Watson
Tournament Preview
For the sixth time in the last seven years, the World Golf Championships - HSBC Champions will be hosted at Sheshan International near Shanghai, China. The event does have history back to 2006, but it was first deemed an official WGC event in 2009 on the European Tour. Even more confusing, it was an unofficial event on the PGA Tour from 2010 to 2012, but has since been added to the FedEx Cup schedule in 2013, where a win will secure a PGA Tour card for three years. The field is stacked with top-level talent; many have won top-rated tournaments on various major tours around the world in the last year. World No.1 Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy will join defending champ Bubba Watson on a vulnerable par-72 layout to round out the calendar year's final WGC stop. We likely won't see an exclusive international field like this until the WGC-Cadillac Championship in March, making this week a nice treat as we get underway in the new wraparound season.
Key Stats to winning at Sheshan International
• Driving Distance
• Par-5 Scoring Average
• GIR% from 200-plus yards
Past Champions
2014 - Bubba Watson (Sheshan)
2013 - Dustin Johnson (Sheshan)
2012 - Ian Poulter
2011 - Martin Kaymer (Sheshan)
2010 - Francesco Molinari (Sheshan)
2009 - Phil Mickelson (Sheshan)
Champion's Profile
It's clear most of champions at this venue since 2009 has utilized their length off the tee to give themselves an edge, the most obvious being Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson in the last two years. The course features two 590+ yard par-5s, half the par-4s are 450+ yards, and all the par-3s measure 200+ yards, which may explain the success of the bombers at Sheshan International. Putting it all together, players with length, consistent long iron play, and above average par-5 scoring average are great bets to find the top of the leaderboard come Sunday.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Rory McIlroy - $12,300 (Winning Odds: 14%)
Jordan Spieth - $12,000 (11%)
Henrik Stenson - $10,100 (6%)
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Adam Scott - $9,900 (5%)
Hideki Matsuyama - $9,800 (5%)
Shane Lowry - $9,300 (4%)
Martin Kaymer - $9,100 (3%)
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Branden Grace - $9,000 (3%)
Ian Poulter - $8,600 (2%)
Danny Willett - $8,000 (2%)
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Andy Sullivan - $7,600 (1%)
Russell Knox - $7,000 (1%)
Chris Kirk - $6,900 (1%)
Tyrrell Hatton - $6,700 (1%)
James Morrison - $6,500 (1%)
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Cash Game Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Bubba Watson - $10,500
Dustin Johnson - $10,300
Martin Kaymer - $9,100
David Howell - $6,700
Marc Warren - $6,700
Miguel Angel Jimenez - $6,600
The cash game lineup this week incorporates a studs and duds approach, mainly due to the guaranteed four rounds for everyone in the truncated field this week. Watson and Dustin Johnson comprise the past two champions and hold an enormous distance advantage, particularly helpful at Sheshan, while the bargain-priced Kaymer owns the best history at this event with five top-10s in six years including a win in 2011. Howell, Warren, and Jimenez round out the lineup out of necessity, but if the top three predictably play well I'll likely only need one of the bottom three to over perform to have success.
Higher-Risk Tournament Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Rory McIlroy - $12,300
Jordan Spieth - $12,000
Thomas Aiken - $6,600
James Morrison - $6,500
Andrew Dodt - $6,300
Richard T. Lee - $6,300
The tournament lineup this week is top-weighted due to zero cut risk for lower-priced players. Rory McIlroy enjoys a glistening record with no worse than T6 in four starts at Sheshan, while Spieth is World No.1 and capable of winning any event despite him weaker history here (best finish 17th in 2013). Richard T. Lee and James Morrison are younger first-timers, while Dodt has one Sheshan start under his belt (T53 in 2010). Finally, the veteran Thomas Aiken has three starts at this event, his best a T28. The lineup is high-risk to be sure but a 1-2 finish by McIlroy and Spieth is a likely scenario and many lineups will not have this high-priced combination.
