WGC-HSBC Champions: Power Ranking the top ten at Sheshan

SHANGHAI, CHINA - OCTOBER 24: (EDITOR'S NOTE: THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN DIGITALLY MANIPULATED) In this handout composite image provided by HSBC, Henrik Stenson of Sweden, Dustin Johnson of the United States, Haotong Li of China and Hideki Matsuyama of Japan pose in front of the Pudong skyline during a tournament launch event for the WGC - HSBC Champions at The Peninsula Shanghai on October 24, 2017 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Li Wei/HSBC via Getty Images) /

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MONZA, ITALY – OCTOBER 14: Matthew Fitzpatrick of England in action during day three of the 2017 Italian Open at Golf Club Milano – Parco Reale di Monza on October 14, 2017 in Monza, Italy. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) /

If you’re an American golf fan, and you’ve mostly missed the rise of Matthew Fitzpatrick on the world stage, I understand. Sure, you might remember that he was the low amateur at the Open Championship in 2013, and the U.S. Open in 2014. But you might have missed his four worldwide victories over the last two years, including his most recent one at the Omega European Masters just last month.

What you won’t miss, however, is his rise on this side of the Atlantic, especially if he can start to perform on that level in the biggest events. This week could give him just that chance.

Fitzpatrick is on a roll lately, and dating back to his win at the European Masters, he’s run off four straight starts of top-15 golf. Sure, he’s had his problems when he comes to the States, but this week is basically a high-level European Tour event, so he should feel right at home.

Speaking of feeling at home, Sheshan has been particularly kind to Fitzpatrick recently. In his World Golf Championship debut in 2015, Fitzpatrick finished tied for seventh here, and then he came back in 2016 to tie for 16^th place. A little bit of positive momentum should carry Fitzpatrick to a big week.

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