Quick look at the WGC-HSBC Champions

THE OVERVIEW Can anyone beat Dustin Johnson or Hideki Matsuyama this week? Of course they can… but the pair have dominated the World Golf Championship scene of late and given both have tasted victory at Sheshan Golf Club in the past it is reasonable to suggest they can continue their incredible run in China. The last time a man not named Johnson or Matsuyama won a WGC trophy was the 2016 World Golf Championships – Dell Match Play where Jason Day was victorious. Since then the others have shared five straight, including Matsuyama’s breakthrough at the World Golf Championships – HSBC Champions last season where he dominated the field on the way to a seven-shot win. It was a period of sparkling golf to end 2016 for the Japanese star in which his worldwide results read 5-1-2-1-1-1-2 and he entrenched himself as a top-10 player in the world. He then added further victories in 2017 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and the World Golf Championships – Bridgestone Invitational while also heavily contending at the U.S. Open (T2) and PGA Championship (T5). But the 25-year-old’s energy waned during the FedExCup Playoffs and while he started as the top seed he ended the season eighth on the points list. “To stay on top, to continue on top, I’m still learning how to do that, and that’s one of my goals, one of the things that I’m working on now is to be able to stay on top of my game,â€� Matsuyama said from China. A T5 finish at the recent CIMB Classic in Malaysia was a nice return to form for the five-time TOUR winner who became the first Asian to win a WGC event last year. “It is different, coming back as defending. I don’t want to put a lot of pressure or expectations on myself,â€� he said. “Just let the tournament come to me like it did last year. All I can do is just try to play my best and hopefully that will work out well.â€� Johnson is making his first appearance of the season and the world No. 1 is hoping to get something going early. His win here in 2013 has him confident any rust he’s accumulated in his short off-season can be offset. “I’m always excited to come here. I’ve had a lot of success in this tournament. It’s something I look forward to,â€� Johnson says. “The game, it’s getting there. I had three weeks off, so a little rusty. But hopefully I knocked all the rust off today. I hit a couple good shots.â€� Johnson, as he often does, spent some down time fishing but he also continued to work out away from the golf course. He believes his routine is a big part of why his only injuries have come in freak events like lifting jet skis or falling down stairs. “Knock-on-wood… I think obviously training is a big part of it. I don’t overdo it, either, as far as practicing or swinging. I’m not like Vijay hitting a thousand balls a day or practicing eight hours a day or anything like that,â€� he adds. “I think I’m really good at listening to my body, and when it tells me I need to stop, I stop.â€� The body or brain or any part of Johnson isn’t telling him to stop right now… it’s telling him to continue WGC domination. Of course lining up behind the pair are 76 more players who have designs on nailing down a huge win early in the season. Other world top-10 players like Jon Rahm, Day and Henrik Stenson are joined by the likes of Xander Schauffele, Marc Leishman, Justin Rose, Phil Mickelson, Matt Kuchar and Brooks Koepka.  THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER Phil Mickelson – The veteran continues to threaten to break his long victory drought that now stretches back over four years. Won twice here before event took official WGC status. Jon Rahm – Rocketed up the world rankings last year and contended heavily in his first two WGC’s with a runner up and T3 finish.   Marc Leishman – Two-time winner last season coming off a playoff loss in Korea. Will no doubt be hungry to go one better. THE FLYOVER The par-5 18th at 538 yards sets up for plenty of drama should we get a close finish. It was just a few years ago Bubba Watson holed out for eagle from the greenside bunker on the way to his victory. With water down the right side and the bunkers guarding the left it takes a precision shot at a pressure moment to come out on top.  WEATHER CHECK The outlook calls for clear sunny skies throughout the tournament with temperatures in the early and mid 60s. The humidity is hovering around 60percent for the week and we have just a 10percent chance of rain, allowing for potentially firm and fast conditions. Winds should be mild over the opening two rounds before it kicks up to somewhere between 13-17 miles per hour on the weekend. For the latest weather news from Shanghai, China, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK I’m really honored to be here participating at the WGC-HSBC Champions this week representing China which is a great honor for me and also Chinese players. It’s very exciting for us to be competing this week as PGA TOUR Members now in what will be our first full season in 2017 to 2018. ODDS AND ENDS 1. Home-field Advantage: There are seven Chinese players in the field, including Zecheng Dou and Xinjun Zhang, who become the first Chinese players to play in the event as official PGA TOUR members having graduated from the Web.com Tour. Yanwei Liu, Yi Cao, Wenchong Liang, Ashun Wu and Haotong Li are also teeing it up. News also broke that PGA TOUR – China will return in 2018 giving more pathways to the PGA TOUR. 2. Win and In: Seven of the top 10 from last season’s FedExCup is in the field with the knowledge that all but one of the winners of the last 16 World Golf Championships events have qualified for the TOUR Championship with the lone exception being Shane Lowry, who won the 2015 Bridgestone Invitational as a non-member. 3. Rahm Ready: Jon Rahm is – as always – in a winning mood. Making his debut in the event Rahm has shown he doesn’t need history at a course to be successful. He was T3 on debut at the WGC – Mexico Championship. Runner up at the WGC – Dell Match Play. He cannot be counted out. “I focus on winning. I guess I’m just hard-wired: When I like doing something, I like doing it the best I can. I don’t think in failure. I try to look towards the success, and that’s where I think it comes from, the competitiveness,â€� he said. “I love the feeling of competition, and I love the little butterflies when you compete and you’re in the moment to win, and you have a chance.â€�

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