After an exciting conclusion to the CIMB Classic, the best golfers in the planet now shift their focus to the upcoming HSBC Champions golf tournament in Shanghai, China. It’s bound to be one exciting event, with 43 of the world’s top 50 golfers battling it out in the year’s final WGC event.
Who will emerge victorious this coming weekend and grab the $1.612 million top prize? Read on below as a bunch of experts sound off on their picks for this lucrative event. While you’re at it, you can check out our sleeper picks and preview for the HSBC Champions.
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CBS Sports
Expert
Winner
Kyle Porter
Rory McIlroy
Kyle Porter has made his choice and it is Rory McIlroy who he thinks will win the HSBC Champions this week. The four-time major champion has been playing some excellent golf of late, grabbing tournament wins at the Deutsche Bank Championship and TOUR Championship last month. McIlroy’s late-season flourish earned him his first FedEx Cup title.
What makes McIlroy a firm favorite this weekend is his excellent record at Sheshan. He’s never missed a cut in this famous golf course and has found the top 11 in each of the last five years. With McIlroy playing some of the best golf of his life right now, expect the 27-year-old to be in contention once again this weekend.
Yahoo! Sports
Expert
Winner
Ryan Ballengee
Rory McIlroy
Ryan Ballengee of Yahoo! Sports is another expert who’s backing McIlroy to take home the title this week. Ballengee believes that McIlroy’s experience in this event will be the main difference this weekend. The Ulsterman has been pretty good in this tournament, nabbing a pair of top-four finishes in the last five years. His actual scoring average during that span is 68.70. With the way he is striking the ball right now, it isn’t far-fetched to see McIlroy grab his first HSBC Champions trophy this weekend.
PGATour.com
Expert
Winner
Rob Bolton
Rory McIlroy
Mike McAllister
Rory McIlroy
Jonathan Wall
Dustin Johnson
Sean Martin
Dustin Johnson
Ben Everill
Rory McIlroy
James Hickey
Dustin Johnson
PGATour.com’s experts are evenly split between Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson on who they believe will win this week’s HSBC Champions tournament. Both players are playing some incredible golf at the moment and the experts are pretty confident that they will carry that excellent form here in Shanghai. Johnson, who led the PGA Tour in scoring average last season, won this tournament in 2013 and tied for fifth last year. Johnson’s actual scoring average in his last nine rounds here at Sheshan is 66.89. Look for Johnson to engage McIlroy in a titanic tussle this weekend.
