Since The Start Of February
The DP World Tour returns today for the first competition of the Asian Swing at the Hainan Classic in China.
Having made its trip bow 12 months back, a second course has been introduced, as well as amateur gamers, but proficiency off the tee should still be a big possession for those looking to construct 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 suggestion
Angel Ayora 9-1
Just one gamer in the world's top 100, South Africa's Thriston Lawrence, will be at this week's Hainan Classic, however Angel Ayora is hovering just below that mark and he could take his chance after a series of strong performances.
The Spaniard looks a class above this sort of company 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 competitions, he has 11 top-ten surfaces, which is standout type at this level, and figures of 5-8-9-18 in his last four tournaments suggest he is knocking on the door.
Ayora did not play at Mission Hills in 2015 when Marco Penge triumphed, however the data recommend he might be a great fit.
Penge was 3rd in stroke-gained off the tee and 8th on approach, so with Ayora ranked 5th 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 viewed as a small dissatisfaction, but he looks well-equipped to recuperate.
With his method abilities perhaps being more important on the second course, the Vintage, supplying a higher test of precision, don't be shocked if he comes to the fore and finally gets over the line.
Next best bet
Nathan Kimsey 22-1
Nathan Kimsey is another gamer who heads into battle in fine type, although his transformation has actually been more significant considering that he recuperated from a pretty depressing 2025.
However, he got his act together to make it through qualifying school and has been taking advantage of his chances.
Since the start of February, he has actually finished ninth in Bahrain, 5th in Kenya, ninth at the South African Open and 12th in Joburg, so self-confidence ought to not be an issue.
He makes his place debut but the player who is ranked 13th in the strokes-gained off-the-tee charts might discover the examination to his preference.
Other choice
Grant Forrest 30-1
Grant Forrest is one gamer who has experience of this tournament, albeit when all 4 rounds were played on the Blackstone Course, having ended up 23rd in 2015 and he need to be positive that he can construct on that.
The 32-year-old from Livingston won August's Nexo Championship and might work out fairly fresh.
He was 15th in Qatar in early February, having actually been seventh the week before in Bahrain, so his video game seems in an excellent place.
Key stats for Hainan Classic
♦ Marco Penge headed the greens-in-regulation stats on his method to success last year
♦ Just one Chinese gamer finished in the top 30 in 2025
♦ Five of the leading eight surfaces in 2015 were also in the leading eight 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
Prize cash $2.55 m ($ 433,500 to the winner).
Length Blackstone - 7,637 lawns, Vintage - 7,331 yards.
Par Both 72 - 4 par-fives, 10 par-fours, 4 .
Field 120 The cut Top half receive last two 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 summary This is the second time Mission Hills has actually hosted the Hainan Classic and while all 4 rounds were used the Blackstone Course in 2015, the Vintage Course will be used as well this time, so each of the 120 players will play both courses in the opening two days. This modification has actually allowed amateur gamers to be included and reduced the expert field to 120. The Blackstone has broad fairways and is the substantially longer of the 2, while the Vintage represents a various obstacle with plenty of doglegs and blind shots to be negotiated on the tree-lined track that is greatly bunkered.
Story of in 2015 Marco Penge kept his cool with a closing 67 to declare his very first DP World Tour success by a three-shot margin.
Weather projection All four days are anticipated to be dry with temperatures peaking at about 30C.
Type of player fit to the difficulty Penge drove and putted well to come out on the top in 2015 and length off the tee is typically an essential skill on Chinese courses. The Vintage is a bit more fiddly, but will just have actually to be navigated once.
Key quality Power.
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