2015 WGC-HSBC Champions

The 2015 WGC-HSBC Champions was a golf tournament played from 5–8 November 2015 at the Sheshan Golf Club in Shanghai, China. It was the seventh WGC-HSBC Champions tournament, and the fourth of four World Golf Championships events held in 2015.

2015 WGC-HSBC Champions
Tournament information
Dates5–8 November 2015
LocationShanghai, China
Course(s)Sheshan Golf Club
Tour(s)Asian Tour
European Tour
PGA Tour
Statistics
Par72
Length7,261 yards (6,639 m)
Field78 players
CutNone
Prize fund$8,500,000
Winner's share$1,400,000
Champion
Scotland Russell Knox
268 (−20)
← 2014
2016 →
Sheshan Golf Club is located in China
Sheshan Golf Club
Sheshan
Golf Club

Russell Knox won by 2 strokes from Kevin Kisner. Danny Willett had a last round 62 to finish joint third with Ross Fisher, a further stroke behind. Knox was playing in his first WGC event and became the first Scot to win a World Golf Championship. Knox had only earned entry as third alternate.[1]

Field

edit

The following is a list of players who qualified for the 2015 WGC-HSBC Champions. The criteria for invitation differed from 2014, with a move towards the leaders in points lists rather than tournament winners. Players who qualify from multiple categories are listed in the first category in which they are eligible with the other qualifying categories in parentheses next to the player's name.[2][3]

1. Winners of the four major championships and The Players Championship

Rickie Fowler (3,4), Jordan Spieth (3,4)

2. Winners of the previous four World Golf Championships

Dustin Johnson (3,4), Shane Lowry (3,5), Rory McIlroy (3,4,5), Bubba Watson (3,4)

3. Top 50 from the OWGR on 19 October

Kiradech Aphibarnrat (5), Daniel Berger (4), Paul Casey (4), Sergio García (5), Branden Grace (5), Emiliano Grillo, Thongchai Jaidee (5), Martin Kaymer (5), Chris Kirk, Kevin Kisner (4), Søren Kjeldsen (5), Anirban Lahiri (5), Danny Lee (4), Marc Leishman, David Lingmerth, Hunter Mahan, Hideki Matsuyama (4), Kevin Na (4), Louis Oosthuizen (4,5), Scott Piercy (4), Patrick Reed (4), Charl Schwartzel (5), Adam Scott, Henrik Stenson (4,5), Robert Streb (4), Andy Sullivan (5), Lee Westwood, Bernd Wiesberger (5), Danny Willett (5), Gary Woodland

4. Top 30 from the final 2015 FedEx Cup points list (if there are less than five available players, players beyond 30th will be selected to increase the number to five)

Steven Bowditch, Harris English, Matt Jones, Daniel Summerhays, Justin Thomas

5. Top 30 from the Race to Dubai as of 26 October

An Byeong-hun, Luke Donald, Ross Fisher, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, David Howell, Miguel Ángel Jiménez, James Morrison, Alex Norén, Thorbjørn Olesen, Thomas Pieters, Marc Warren, Chris Wood

6. The leading four available players from the Asian Tour Order of Merit as of 26 October

Shiv Chawrasia, Andrew Dodt, Scott Hend, Richard T. Lee

7. The leading two available players from the Japan Golf Tour Order of Merit as of 26 October

Kim Kyung-tae, Satoshi Kodaira

8. The leading two available players from the final 2014 PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit

Greg Chalmers, Steven Jeffress

9. The leading two available players from the final 2014 Sunshine Tour Order of Merit

Thomas Aiken, Daniel van Tonder

10. Six players from China

Cao Yi, Dou Zecheng, Li Haotong, Liang Wenchong, Wu Ashun, Zhang Xinjun

11. Alternates, if needed to fill the field of 78 players
  • The next available player on the Orders of Merit of the Asian Tour, Japan Golf Tour, Sunshine Tour, and PGA Tour of Australasia, ranked in order of their position in the OWGR as of 19 October
  • Next available player, not otherwise exempt, from Race to Dubai as of 26 October, OWGR as of 19 October, FedEx Cup list:
  1. Hiroshi Iwata (Japan)
  2. Danny Chia (Asia)
  3. Trevor Fisher Jnr (Sunshine)
  4. Nick Cullen (Australasia)
  5. Tyrrell Hatton (Race to Dubai; replaced George Coetzee)
  6. Ian Poulter (OWGR; replaced Brandt Snedeker)
  7. Russell Knox (FedEx Cup; replaced J. B. Holmes)
  8. Cameron Smith (Asia; replaced Billy Horschel)

Round summaries

edit

First round

edit

Thursday, 5 November 2015

Branden Grace shot a 9-under-par 63 to take a one-stroke lead over Steven Bowditch, Kevin Kisner, and Thorbjørn Olesen.[4]

Place Player Score To par
1   Branden Grace 63 −9
T2   Steven Bowditch 64 −8
  Kevin Kisner
  Thorbjørn Olesen
T5   Dustin Johnson 65 −7
  Patrick Reed
  Danny Willett
8   Li Haotong 66 −6
T9   Paul Casey 67 −5
  Harris English
  Trevor Fisher Jnr
  Tommy Fleetwood
  Russell Knox
  Thomas Pieters
  Zhang Xinjun

Second round

edit

Friday, 6 November 2015

Kevin Kisner shot a second-round 66 to take a two stroke lead over Russell Knox, who shot the low round of the day, 65. First-round leader Branden Grace shot a 71 to fall to third place, four strokes behind Kisner. Li Haotong, of China, moved up the leaderboard to a tie for 4th with a second-round 69.[5]

Place Player Score To par
1   Kevin Kisner 64-66=130 −14
2   Russell Knox 67-65=132 −12
3   Branden Grace 63-71=134 −10
T4   Li Haotong 66-69=135 −9
  Patrick Reed 66-70=135
T6   Dustin Johnson 65-71=136 −8
  Hunter Mahan 68-68=136
  Bernd Wiesberger 70-66=136
T9   An Byeong-hun 69-68=137 −7
  Matt Fitzpatrick 68-69=137
  Scott Hend 68-69=137
  Louis Oosthuizen 68-69=137

Third round

edit

Saturday, 7 November 2015
Sunday, 8 November 2015

Third round play did not finish Saturday due to Russell Knox choosing not to play the last hole due to darkness.[6] When he finished his hole on Sunday, he was tied for the lead with Kevin Kisner at 16-under-par. They were one stroke ahead of Dustin Johnson and Li Haotong.

Place Player Score To par
T1   Kevin Kisner 64-66-70=200 −16
  Russell Knox 67-65-68=200
T3   Dustin Johnson 65-71-65=201 −15
  Li Haotong 66-69-66=201
T5   Ross Fisher 69-69-65=203 −13
  Patrick Reed 65-70-68=203
  Jordan Spieth 68-72-63=203
T8   Branden Grace 63-71-70=204 −12
  Scott Hend 68-69-67=204
  Thorbjørn Olesen 64-74-66=204

Final round

edit

Sunday, 8 November 2015

Russell Knox shot a final round 68 to beat Kevin Kisner by two strokes. Li Haotong's T7 finish was the highest PGA Tour finish for a Chinese player.[1]

Place Player Score To par Prize money (US$)
1   Russell Knox 67-65-68-68=268 −20 1,400,000
2   Kevin Kisner 64-66-70-70=270 −18 850,000
T3   Ross Fisher 69-69-65-68=271 −17 422,500
  Danny Willett 65-74-70-62=271
T5   Branden Grace 63-71-70-68=272 −16 276,500
  Dustin Johnson 65-71-65-71=272
T7   Matt Fitzpatrick 68-69-69-67=273 −15 173,750
  Li Haotong 66-69-66-72=273
  Patrick Reed 65-70-68-70=273
  Jordan Spieth 68-72-63-70=273

Scorecard

edit
Birdie Bogey Double bogey
Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Par 4 5 4 3 4 3 4 5 4 4 4 3 4 5 4 4 3 5
  Knox −16 −17 −18 −17 −17 −18 −18 −18 −17 −18 −19 −19 −19 −19 −19 −20 −20 −20
  Kisner −15 −15 −15 −15 −15 −16 −16 −17 −17 −17 −17 −17 −17 −17 −17 −17 −17 −18
  Fisher −13 −14 −15 −15 −15 −15 −15 −16 −16 −17 −17 −17 −17 −17 −16 −16 −17 −17
  Willett −8 −9 −10 −11 −11 −11 −11 −12 −13 −14 −14 −14 −15 −16 −16 −17 −17 −17
  Grace −12 −13 −14 −14 −13 −14 −15 −16 −16 −16 −17 −16 −16 −17 −16 −16 −15 −16
  Johnson −15 −16 −17 −16 −16 −16 −17 −15 −15 −14 −14 −14 −14 −15 −15 −16 −16 −16
  Fitzpatrick −10 −11 −11 −11 −11 −12 −12 −12 −12 −12 −12 −12 −12 −13 −13 −14 −14 −15
  Li −14 −12 −13 −12 −11 −12 −12 −13 −13 −13 −13 −13 −13 −13 −13 −14 −15 −15
  Reed −13 −14 −14 −14 −14 −14 −14 −15 −15 −15 −15 −15 −16 −14 −14 −14 −14 −15
  Spieth −12 −13 −13 −13 −12 −12 −12 −13 −13 −13 −13 −13 −13 −14 −14 −15 −15 −15

Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par
Source:[7]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "Russell Knox shoots 68 to win first PGA Tour title at HSBC Champions". ESPN. Associated Press. 8 November 2015.
  2. ^ "The Field". HSBC Champions. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  3. ^ "WGC-HSBC Champions: Entry List". PGA European Tour. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  4. ^ "Branden Grace leads; Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson shoot 68". ESPN. Associated Press. 5 November 2015.
  5. ^ "Kevin Kisner opens 2-shot lead at HSBC Champions". ESPN. Associated Press. 6 November 2015.
  6. ^ "Jordan Spieth eyes Shanghai prize as Rory McIlroy battles on". ESPN. Associated Press. 7 November 2015.
  7. ^ "World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions". ESPN. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
edit

31°06′32″N 121°12′58″E / 31.109°N 121.216°E / 31.109; 121.216