Thursday 25th October
Our event of the day is the WGC-HSBC Champions Day 1 which takes place at the Sheshan Golf club in Shanghai, as part of the PGA and European Tour. This year’s tournament will be the tenth WGC-HSBC Champions tournament, and is the fourth and final of the World Golf Championship events to be held in 2018. The player roster is a star studded line-up, with a total of 78 players, including six former winners of the event, set to compete. This will feature the champions from the last three years: Justin Rose (2017), Hideki Matsuyama (2016) and Russell Knox (2015). Also appearing are the 2013 winner Dustin Johnson, Ian Poulter who was victorious in 2012, and Francesco Molinari, who will be looking to recreate his 2010 win.
The Sheshan course is perhaps China’s finest, at 7,261 yards in length and with a par of 72. With players from 22 different nations competing for the honours (and a big chunk of the $10,000,000 prize fund), this should kick off what will undoubtedly be a compelling four days viewing for any golf fanatic. If last year’s event is anything to go by, then this tournament will most certainly be one not to miss. The conclusion of the four days play back in October 2017 saw a thrilling comeback victory for Justin Rose. Rose overcame an eight-stroke deficit in the final round to win by two strokes over Dustin Johnson, who had previously been leading the field for both the second and third round. Rose shot a 5-under-par 67 whilst Johnson shot a 5-over-par 77, to see Rose scrape a stunning victory at the final hurdle. Rose will be looking for a repeat of his success this year, whilst Johnson will be looking to right some wrongs after falling away so dramatically at the final hurdle a year ago. With these just two of the contenders for the honours as some of the world’s best face off, and the fans holding high hopes for a similar spectacle to last year, day one should be a fantastic watch to kick off the tournament.
Honourable mentions around the globe go to the Darts, where it is the PDC Major European Championship Day 1. Today will see the first eight of the first round matches taking place at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, as this four day tournament begins. Michael van Gerwen, the top seed and reigning European Champion, will be the headliner on the opening night. He will be beginning his attempt to claim a fifth successive title against Paul Nicholson. Elsewhere in the world of sport, the UEFA Europa League is back, including Chelsea in action at Stamford Bridge in London against BATE Borisov. Over in America, the Texans take on the Dolphins at the NRG Stadium in Houston in the NFL. There are also several NBA matches today, including the Lakers against the Nuggets at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Finally, Vienna is the host of Day 4 of the Erste Bank Open on Tennis’ ATP World Tour.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Fixture
Photos by PGA Tour; Sheshan Golf Club
Originally published at www.fixturecalendar.com/blog. To see what else is happening in the world of sport use the Fixture Calendar.
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