16/1 Westwood on a Mission

The European Tour jets in the China this week for the final WGC event of the year, the HSBC Champions. There’s no Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, with both taking a week off after filling their wheelbarrows with cash in recent events, but there are punting options aplenty at Mission Hills.

Lee Westwood is third favourite behind Luke Donald (10/1) and Justin Rose (12/1) and he is our first dart at the board. His problems with the short stick are well documented but the Olazabal Course could well play to his strengths: precision play from tee to green. Westwood is better than most with an iron in his hands and his closing round off 66 at the BMW Masters suggested good form is around the corner.

Keegan Bradley is making his first appearance at Mission Hills but he is a player who is comfortable on testing layouts and he looks sure to challenge deep into the weekend – making 30/1 look good.

Our third selection goes against the grain as we are selecting a player who has been inactive since the Tour Championship. We’re normally inclined to side with players who have recent form under the belt, but Adam Scott strikes us as a player capable of shrugging off an absence. Scott is long enough off the tee to contend and is 49th on the PGA Tour in terms of greens in regulation. His putting stroke stands up to scrutiny and 18/1 is big enough to interest us.

HSBC Champions:
Luke Donald 10/1, Justin Rose 12/1, Lee Westwood 16/1, Dustin Johnson 18/1, Ian Poulter 18/1, Louis Oosthuizen 18/1, Adan Scott 18/1, Phil Mickelson 20/1, 22/1 bar

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