Par 3 and 5 count gives Garrigus big HSBC Champions chance

There may be no Rory McIlroy or Tiger Woods, but it remains a stellar line-up taking part in the WGC-HSBC Champions event, but it is a lesser light in Robert Garrigus that can spring a surprise.

Luke Donald, Phil Mickelson and Louis Oosthuizen lead the elite 78-player field, but Garrigus perhaps provides the best betting value on offer at 33/1.

Garrigus has been constantly knocking on the door this season, with four runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour, with the most recent coming on his last start at the CIMB Classic.

The fact that the course has been designed by Jose Olazabal should not really suit Garrigus, as the onus is on precision rather than brute power.

Garrigus is one of the longest drivers on the PGA Tour, but this could be an asset at the Olazabal Course at Mission Hills, as there are five par 5s to tame.

It would be no surprise if Garrigus was within a wedge of the green from the tee and these par 5s will present numerous birdie opportunities.

Garrigus features in the top ten in the PGA statistics for registering a birdie or better on a par 5, doing so almost 49 per cent of the time.

What is also notable is that Garrigus is also in the top ten for birdies or better on par 3 holes.

This is also significant as there are five par 3s on the Olazabal Course, which suggests that Garrigus is more likely than virtually all to play these ten holes better than anyone else, assuming he sticks to the averages he has established over the course of the season.

Alternatively, Garrigus can be backed at 6/1 to finish in the top five in China or 12/5 to be positioned in the top ten after 72 holes.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.