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) /

7 of 11

JEJU, SOUTH KOREA – OCTOBER 22: Marc Leishman of Australia hits his tee shot on the 6th hole during the final round of the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges on October 22, 2017 in Jeju, South Korea. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images) /

Marc Leishman has been on an absolute tear on the PGA TOUR since the start of summer. He’s racked up five top-ten finishes in his last nine starts, and he came within a single shot of taking the CJ Cup from the grasp of Justin Thomas on Sunday. Throw in a Playoff win at the BMW Championship and you know that the Aussie is feeling on top of his game.

He should, then, enjoy a return to Sheshan International and the WGC-HSBC Champions. Leishman has played the just twice in its eight-year history as a World Golf Championship. That being said, when he’s made the trip to China, he’s made the most of it. In 2014, he finished alone in ninth, and he tied for 11^th in his return the following year. He’s been away from the event for a year, but the way he’s been playing, that won’t matter at all.

Leishman’s overall balanced game should allow him to take advantage of Sheshan’s usually friendly scoring conditions. He ranked inside the top 50 on TOUR in most meaningful statistical categories last season, finishing 37^th in strokes gained putting, and fourth in adjusted scoring average. He’s got to be one of the favorites to challenge for the biggest title of the early season this week.

Home/Golf Power Rankings