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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SHANGHAI, CHINA – OCTOBER 24: Henrik Stenson of Sweden poses during a photocall for the WGC – HSBC Champions at The Peninsula Shanghai on October 24, 2017 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images) /

Henrik Stenson weathered a bit of a storm in the spring of 2017 on the PGA TOUR. Missing five cuts in six American starts between March and June had him in a bit of a tailspin. There was a lone highlight – a T3 finish at May’s BMW PGA Championship – on the European Tour, but overall, the performance just wasn’t what we’ve come to expect from a player of Stenson’s caliber.

As it turned out, that stretch was little more than a blip on the radar. He didn’t miss a cut anywhere after Erin Hills, and closed out the PGA TOUR regular season with a win at the Wyndham Championship. Stenson qualified for the BMW Championship, but a T51 finish narrowly kept him out of the finale at East Lake.

Well rested and ready to make an early-season impact, Stenson returns to Sheshan looking to carry on the improvement he’s had in China over the past few years. In his last four WGC-HSBC appearances, Stenson has improved each time, finishing tied for second place last in 2016.

This week could be the perfect meeting of talent, fit, and motivation. Look for Stenson to challenge for his second win in three months, and a fantastic way to close the 2017 calendar year.

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