2014 WGC-HSBC Champions

The 2014 WGC-HSBC Champions was a golf tournament played 6–9 November 2014 at the Sheshan Golf Club in Shanghai, China. It was the sixth WGC-HSBC Champions tournament, and the fourth of four World Golf Championships events held in the 2014 calendar year.

Bubba Watson won the tournament at the first playoff hole, holing a putt for a birdie at the 18th hole while Tim Clark took a par 5. Watson and Clark had tied for the lead at 277 after 72 holes. Watson seemed to have ruined his chance of winning by bogeying the 16th hole of the final round and taking a double bogey at the 17th. However he then holed out from a greenside bunker for an eagle at the last hole to take the lead. Clark then holed a putt for a birdie at the last to force a playoff. In the final group, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, and Hiroshi Iwata all needed a birdie at the last to join the playoff but none of the three made it.

Field

The following is a list of players who qualified for the 2014 WGC-HSBC Champions. "Top rated" means tournaments with the highest "strength of field" rating (SOF) in the Official World Golf Ranking (these tournaments were pre-determined based on OWGR from 2012 to 2013 HSBC Champions). 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.

;1. Winners of the four major championships and The Players Championship
Martin Kaymer (12), Bubba Watson (3,12)
*''Qualified but did not play: Rory McIlroy (2,5,9,12)''

;2. Winners of the previous four World Golf Championships
Patrick Reed (12)
*''Qualified but did not play: Jason Day (12), Dustin Johnson (12)''

;3. Winners of the top 20 rated PGA Tour events
Tim Clark, Matt Every, Russell Henley, J. B. Holmes, Billy Horschel (12), Matt Jones, Chris Kirk (12), Hunter Mahan (12), Hideki Matsuyama (12), Ryan Moore (12), Justin Rose (5,12), Adam Scott (9,12), John Senden, Kevin Stadler, Scott Stallings, Kevin Streelman (12)
*''Qualified but did not play: Zach Johnson (12), Matt Kuchar (12)''

;4. Top 5 available players from the 2013–14 FedEx Cup points list
Rickie Fowler (12), Sergio García (5,10,12), Ryan Palmer (12), Jordan Spieth (12), Jimmy Walker (12)
*''Qualified but did not play: Jim Furyk (12)''

;5. Winners of the top 10 rated European Tour events
Victor Dubuisson (12), Pablo Larrazábal, Graeme McDowell (12), Louis Oosthuizen, Marcel Siem, Henrik Stenson (12), Oliver Wilson

;6. Top 15 available players from the Race to Dubai
Thomas Bjørn (8,12), Jonas Blixt, George Coetzee (8), Jamie Donaldson (12), Ernie Els (12), Tommy Fleetwood, Stephen Gallacher (12), Mikko Ilonen (12), Thongchai Jaidee (12), Miguel Ángel Jiménez (12), Alexander Lévy, Shane Lowry, Joost Luiten (12), Charl Schwartzel (8,12), Marc Warren

;7. Four players - winners of the top 3 Japan Golf Tour events, remainder from 2014 Order of Merit
Luke Donald (12), Hiroshi Iwata (OoM), Kim Hyung-sung (OoM), Yoshitaka Takeya
*''Qualified but did not play: Hiroyuki Fujita (OoM), Yuta Ikeda (OoM), Yūsaku Miyazato, Koumei Oda (OoM)''

;8. Four players - winners of the top 3 Sunshine Tour events, remainder from 2013 Order of Merit
Darren Fichardt (OoM), Hennie Otto (OoM), Dawie van der Walt (OoM), Jaco van Zyl (OoM)

;9. Four players - winners of the top 3 PGA Tour of Australasia events, remainder from 2013 Order of Merit
Michael Hendry (OoM), Jin Jeong (OoM), Brody Ninyette (OoM), Thorbjørn Olesen

;10. Six players - winners of the top 3 Asian Tour events, remainder from 2014 Order of Merit
Felipe Aguilar, Jason Knutzon (OoM), Anirban Lahiri (OoM), Antonio Lascuña (OoM), David Lipsky (OoM), Lee Westwood (12)

;11. Six players from China
Dou Zecheng, Hu Mu, Li Haotong, Liang Wenchong, Wu Ashun, Zhang Lianwei

;12. Any players, not included in above categories, in the top 50 of the OWGR on 20 October 2014
Keegan Bradley, Graham DeLaet, Jason Dufner, Bill Haas, Marc Leishman, Kevin Na, Ian Poulter, Brandt Snedeker, Brendon Todd, Gary Woodland
*''Qualified but did not play: Phil Mickelson, Webb Simpson, Steve Stricker, Tiger Woods''

;13. Alternates, if needed to fill the field to 78 players
''None needed: 80 players competed''
*Winner of 21st ranked PGA Tour event
*Next ranked player, not otherwise exempt, from Race to Dubai as of 20 October, OWGR as of 20 October 2013–14 FedEx Cup list, repeating as necessary

Round summaries

First round

''Thursday, 6 November 2014''

Graeme McDowell shot a 5-under-par 67 to take a two-stroke lead over six players, including 2011 champion Martin Kaymer. A strong wind, thick rough and narrow fairways made scoring difficult with only 27 players breaking par.

Second round

''Friday, 7 November 2014''

Graeme McDowell shot a second straight round of 67 to take a three-stroke lead over Ian Poulter.

Third round

''Saturday, 8 November 2014''

Graeme McDowell maintained a one-stroke lead over Hiroshi Iwata. Martin Kaymer shot the low round of the day, 66, to climb to a third place tie with Bubba Watson.

Final round

''Sunday, 9 November 2014''

Bubba Watson and Tim Clark finished the round tied at 277 to force a playoff, with Watson scoring an eagle on the final hole. Watson made birdie on the first playoff hole to Clark's par to win the tournament, his first World Golf Championship. The leader from the first three rounds, Graeme McDowell, shot a 73 to fall into a tie for third.

Scorecard

''Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par''

Source:

Playoff

The sudden-death playoff started at the 18th hole.

References

External links

Coverage on Asian Tour's official site

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WGC-HSBC Champions
WGC-HSBC Champions
WGC-HSBC Champions
WGC-HSBC Champions