Since The Beginning Of February
The DP World Tour returns this week for the very first competition of the Asian Swing at the Hainan Classic in China.
Having made its trip bow 12 months earlier, a 2nd course has actually been presented, as well as amateur players, but proficiency off the tee should still be a big possession for those aiming to build on strong starts to the year.
Ian Wilkerson's Hainan Classic forecasts
Angel Ayora
3pts each-way 9-1 Coral, Ladbrokes
Nathan Kimsey
1pt each-way 22-1 bet365
Grant Forrest
1pt each-way 30-1 bet365, BoyleSports
Ian Wilkerson's Hainan Classic sneak peek
Top idea
Angel Ayora 9-1
Just one player worldwide's leading 100, South Africa's Thriston Lawrence, will be at Classic, but Angel Ayora is hovering simply below that mark and he could take his opportunity after a series of strong performances.
The Spaniard looks a class above this sort of business and while he has yet to break his DP World Tour duck, his consistency recommends it is only a matter of time.
He was seventh at the Italian Open in June, and in his next 24 tournaments, he has 11 top-ten finishes, which is standout kind at this level, and figures of 5-8-9-18 in his last four tournaments recommend he is knocking on the door.
Ayora did not dip into Mission Hills in 2015 when Marco Penge came out on top, however the data recommend he could be a good fit.
Penge was 3rd in stroke-gained off the tee and 8th on technique, so with Ayora ranked fifth and ninth in those metrics this year, the similarities are clear.
He struck a 64 in his opening round last time at the Joburg Open, where his 18th may be deemed a small dissatisfaction, however he looks well-equipped to get better.
With his technique skills perhaps being better on the 2nd course, the Vintage, supplying a greater test of accuracy, don't be shocked if he comes forward and finally overcomes the line.
Next finest bet
Nathan Kimsey 22-1
Nathan Kimsey is another player who heads into battle in great kind, although his improvement has been more marked since he recuperated from a quite depressing 2025.
However, he got his act together to make it through qualifying school and has been making the most of his opportunities.
Since the beginning of February, he has finished ninth in Bahrain, fifth in Kenya, ninth at the South African Open and 12th in Joburg, so self-confidence needs to not be an issue.
He makes his venue launching but the gamer who is ranked 13th in the strokes-gained off-the-tee charts could discover the assessment to his preference.
Other choice
Grant Forrest 30-1
Grant Forrest is one player who has experience of this tournament, albeit when all four rounds were played on the Blackstone Course, having ended up 23rd in 2015 and he need to be confident that he can develop on that.
The 32-year-old from Livingston won August's Nexo Championship and could work out reasonably fresh.
He was 15th in Qatar in early February, having actually been seventh the week before in Bahrain, so his game seems in a good location.
Key statistics for Hainan Classic
♦ Marco Penge headed the greens-in-regulation stats on his way to success in 2015
♦ Just one Chinese player finished in the leading 30 in 2025
♦ Five of the top eight surfaces in 2015 were likewise in the top 8 for strokes-gained putting, consisting of the winner
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Course guide for the Hainan Classic
Course Blackstone and Vintage Courses, Mission Hills, Hainan, China
Cash prize $2.55 m ($ 433,500 to the winner).
Length Blackstone - 7,637 yards, Vintage - 7,331 yards.
Par Both 72 - 4 par-fives, 10 par-fours, 4 par-threes.
Field 120 The cut Top half receive final 2 rounds.
Highest-ranked gamers in field (world ranking in brackets) Thriston Lawrence (89 ), Angel Ayora (101 ), Andy Sullivan (110 ), Nacho Elvira (121 ), Dan Bradbury (125 ).
Course records - 18 holes - Blackstone 65 Marco Penge, Bowen Xiao, Conor Purcell (2025 ).
When to wager By 11.20 pm on Wednesday.
Time difference Hainan is eight hours ahead of the UK and Ireland.
Course type Both parkland.
Course overview This is the 2nd time Mission Hills has hosted the Hainan Classic and while all four rounds were used the Blackstone Course in 2015, the Vintage Course will be used too this time, so each of the 120 gamers will play both courses in the opening 2 days. This modification has made it possible for amateur gamers to be included and reduced the expert field to 120. The Blackstone has large fairways and is the substantially longer of the 2, while the Vintage represents a various challenge with a lot of doglegs and blind shots to be negotiated on the tree-lined track that is heavily bunkered.
Story of in 2015 Marco Penge kept his cool with a closing 67 to claim his very first DP World Tour success by a three-shot margin.
Weather report All four days are expected to be dry with temperature levels peaking at about 30C.
Kind of player fit to the difficulty Penge drove and putted well to come out on the top last year and length off the tee is generally an essential ability on Chinese courses. The Vintage is a bit more fiddly, but will just need to be browsed as soon as.
Key attribute Power.
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