HIDEKI MATSUYAMA

To win

To lead after the first round

Matsuyama is in fantastic form, finishing second and third in his last two starts.

The world No. 22 opened with a round of 65 at last week’s ZOZO Championship on the PGA Tour, which left him T3 at the end of the first day.

Matsuyama won this event in 2016 and, although he’s finished outside of the top 20 in his last two starts here, his recent form suggests he’s in with a chance of triumphing again this week.

That combination of form, previous success at this course and a knack for fast starts make him an ideal candidate for our first-round leader offer.

XANDER SCHAUFFELE

To win

To lead after the first round

Schauffele is the reigning champion at Sheshan and should make a strong start to his defence of the title.

The American is coming off a T10 at the ZOZO Championship, having been T7 at the end of the first round.

He’s now finished inside the top 20 in three of his last four starts, a run that includes a second-place finish at the TOUR Championship in August.

Schauffele sat at the top of the leaderboard after Thursday’s play at that event, and looks a good bet to again be among the early leaders this week.

MATTHEW FITZPATRICK

To win

To lead after the first round

Fitzpatrick has gone close several times over the past year without winning, but this week in China is a great chance for the 25-year-old to end that wait.

He has finished 16th or better in three of his four starts at this event, including top-10 finishes in both 2015 and 2017.

Even when the Englishman finished down in 54th place last year, he opened with a 67, the fourth-best round of the first day.

Fitzpatrick was also joint-eighth after the first round at the Italian Open earlier this month before going on to finish second.

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