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: Tyrrell Hatton of England plays a shot during the third round of the Italian Open at Golf Club Milano – Parco Reale di Monza on October 14, 2017 in Monza, Italy. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) /

Most of the time, when we’re putting together these rankings, two things come to mind: course history, and recent form. It makes sense, right? If a golfer has played well at a certain course, and he’s really feeling it right now, he should be a solid bet. It’s paid off time and time again.

Who, then, is hotter right now than Tyrrell Hatton? The 26-year-old Englishman has won in his last two starts on the European Tour, bringing home both the Italian Open and the Alfred Dunhill Links. That’s just the culmination (so far) of a four-tournament run in which Hatton hasn’t finished any lower than tied for eighth. Since the start of September, he’s won just under €2 million in prize money. If that doesn’t get his confidence sky high, nothing can.

What Hatton carries in momentum, he admittedly lacks in experience at Sheshan, at least compared to some of the field. He’s only played the WGC-HSBC Champions twice, finishing 54^th in 2015, and 23^rd last year. If he can build on that growth, and carry over his incredibly strong run of golf from the past month, a big finish shouldn’t surprise anybody.

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