Deary me.....

Rose started flaring it right again,just like yesterday when heat on...

Top 15 players after R1.....
Reed
Finau
Schauffeler

Huge spread in the scores the top 2 getting to 14 under but only 20 broke par and plenty double digits over par.

Special mention for Bown Xiao who picked up £38600 euros for his 317 shots!

((((2019 WGC HSBC CHAMPIONS))))

BOMBerS AWAY

Justin Rose (2018): "I think the par 5s are key this week. No.2, for example, and No.18 is also a pretty narrow tee shot. No.8 is a very intimidating tee shot. So if you can be brave off the tee on the par 5s, I feel like there's quite a bit of an advantage to be had. I think that's why guys like myself have played well on this golf course before because we drive the ball pretty well generally."

Winner Xander Schauffele played the Par 5s (-6) better than anyone else last year. Third-placed Rose was ranked T2 in that category.
Matsuyama also topped the Par 5 stats when winning in 2016.

WGC-HSBC Champions 2019
Rory McIlroy   +600
Hideki Matsuyama   +1200
Xander Schauffele   +1400
Justin Rose   +1600
Paul Casey   +2200
Henrik Stenson   +2500
Tommy Fleetwood   +2500
Tony Finau   +2500
Adam Scott   +2800
Patrick Reed   +2800
Sung-Jae Im   +2800
Bernd Wiesberger   +3300
Billy Horschel   +3300
Byeong-Hun An   +3300
Cameron Smith   +3300
Jordan Spieth   +3300
Matt Wallace   +4000
Matthew Fitzpatrick   +4000
Shane Lowry   +4000
Tyrrell Hatton   +4000

An official PGA TOUR event since 2013 from the Sheshan International GC, 7,261 yards, par 72.

Who’s playing ???
6 former winners, however it's not the greatest line-up for a WGC event and with no Tiger! - makes Tiger’s 18 WGC titles all the more amazing with the usual talent in those fields.

Rory McIlroy, 8th visit to Sheshan and he's finished in the T6 in five of them.
Justin Rose 2017 Champ, course horse.
Hideki Matsuyama top form horse.
Xander Schauffele defends.
Paul Casey 12th start at Sheshan.
Tommy Fleetwood 6th time lucky?, T7 last year, impressive GIR numbers but needs the putter to heat up.
Tony Finau ranks third in Par 5 Scoring on the European Tour.
Patrick Reed lines up for the sixth straight year looking for a Capt’s Pick.
Im on debut but T39 CJ CUP (won on the Korean Tour the previous week) and 64-67-65 over the last three rounds to take T3 at the ZOZO with strong short-game figures.
Stenson runner-up the last two years.
Mickelson wins in 2007 and 2009.
Sergio 2008 winner, Ranks 5th for Par 5 Scoring in Europe this season.
BH An T6 (CJ) and T8 (ZOZO).

Who's NOT playing ???
The other six members of the world's top eight - Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Tiger Woods and Patrick Cantlay are not (nor is Day or Frittelli).

Past winners of the WGC-HSBC Champions
2018 (-14, 274) Xander Schauffele – 1st WGC win
2017 (-14, 274) Justin Rose – 2nd WGC win
2016 (-23, 265) Hideki Matsuyama – 1st WGC win
2015 (-20, 268) Russell Knox – 1st WGC win
2014 (-11, 277) Bubba Watson – 1st WGC win

This concludes the PGA TOUR's three-week Asian Swing.

TEE TIMES & 3BALLS betting..... (LATE NIGHTS AGAIN)

00:50    Tyrrell Hatton Adam Hadwin Lucas Glover    17/10    15/8    12/5
00:55    Chan Kim Zander Lombard Jake McLeod    28/15    15/8    11/4
01:00    Corey Conners Erik van Rooyen Jason Kokrak    17/11    28/15    12/5
01:10    Byeong-Hun An Keegan Bradley Kurt Kitayama    17/10    28/13    23/10
01:20    Rafa Cabrera Bello Chez Reavie Ashun Wu    13/10    13/8    13/4
01:30    Sung-Jae Im Paddy Reed Sergio Garcia    7/4    9/5    52/21
01:35    Cameron Smith Matthias Schwab Yosuke Asaji    7/5    9/5    21/5
01:40    Hideki Matsuyama Paul Casey Jordan Spiethless    6/4    28/15    52/21
01:50    Tommy Fleetwood Adam Scott Henrik Stenson    17/10    19/10    2/1
01:55    Richard Sterne Paul Waring Mikumu Horikawa    9/5    28/15    11/4
02:00    Louis Oosthuizen Francesco Molinari Ian Poulter    9/5    19/10    27/14
02:05    Andrea Pavan Justin Harding Masahiro Kawamura    13/8    39/19    11/4
02:10    Matty Wallace Danny Willett Bubba Watson    17/10    9/5    23/10
02:20    Billy Horschite Kevin Kismyass Bob MacIntyre    6/4    11/5    23/10
02:25    Victor Perez Kevin Tway Jorge Campillo    13/8    28/15    3/1
02:30    Matty Fitz Haotong Li Phil the Trill    8/5    2/1    21/10
02:40    Tony Finau Bernd Wiesberger Shane Lowry    17/10    21/10    21/10
02:50    Rory McCoy Xander Schauffele Justin Rose    7/5    21/10    23/10

WGC in CHINA...….the third and final test of the ASIA SWING... (+8 hours ahead remember).

The first WGC event of the 2019/20 season with a HUGE PURSE of €10.25M !!! .....yet, just 12 of the World's T25 show up....spoiled brats !
€1,845M MIGHT be enough incentive for Shane to take down Rory, or the red hot Hideki. Lowry is also looking to close in on Wiesberger and Rahmbo at the top of the Race To Dubai standings.

Other European Tour members are also jockeying for positions in the Race to Dubai, (btw HORSCHEL is #54 on RtD) while a few others, the likes of Finau, Reed, Reavie, Kisner, Phil (must Trill) & Chucky three sticks, need a very impressive display (or possibly win) for a Presidents Cup wildcard pick (Woodland & Honeymoon Fowler ain't playing).

Horses for Courses comes into play - plenty of course history (+ current form) as this will be the 7th consecutive season at Sheshan, 14th in the last 15 years since 2005 (Mission Hills hosted the event in 2012)….. Look no further than STENSON (33/1 Uni) with the best scoring average around this track, 68.97 - while Rory's is only 71.44 (each made 7 cuts).....that's 2½ shots better per round mate.
Useless stat, but here goes anyhow - All 13 course winners have been within 4-shots and inside the T8, with 5 of them leading/co-leader, after 36 holes. 5-of-the-last-9 winners and 7-of-the-13 have been in front after Rd.3. Only one winner, Phil in 2009, has been any further back than FOUR after Rd.1. (tied for ninth and 5 back).

RORY wins in a playoff at the WGC-HSBC Champions!

McIlroy’s 18th TOUR title and makes history by becoming the 1st European to win 3 WGC titles.

You heard it here first!