Since The Start Of February
The DP World Tour returns this week for the first tournament of the Asian Swing at the Hainan Classic in China.
Having made its tour bow 12 months back, a 2nd course has actually been introduced, as well as amateur players, but proficiency off the tee should still be a huge possession for those aiming to develop 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 preview
Top tip
Angel Ayora 9-1
Just one gamer on the planet's leading 100, South Africa's Thriston Lawrence, will be at this week's Hainan Classic, but Angel Ayora is hovering just below that mark and he might take his chance after a series of strong efficiencies.
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 form at this level, and figures of 5-8-9-18 in his last 4 tournaments suggest he is knocking on the door.
Ayora did not play at Mission Hills last year when Marco Penge came out on top, however the statistics recommend he could be a great fit.
Penge was third in stroke-gained off the tee and eighth on technique, 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 might be considered as a small dissatisfaction, however he looks well-equipped to bounce back.
With his technique skills perhaps being more valuable on the 2nd course, the Vintage, supplying a greater test of accuracy, don't be surprised if he comes forward and finally overcomes the line.
Next best bet
Nathan Kimsey 22-1
Nathan Kimsey is another player who heads into fight in great kind, although his transformation has been more marked 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 opportunities.
Since the start of February, he has completed ninth in Bahrain, 5th in Kenya, ninth at the South African Open and 12th in Joburg, so self-confidence must not be a problem.
He makes his venue debut however the gamer who is ranked 13th in the strokes-gained off-the-tee charts might 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 4 rounds were used the Blackstone Course, having completed 23rd in 2015 and he need to be confident that he can construct on that.
The 32-year-old from Livingston won August's Nexo Championship and might go well relatively fresh.
He was 15th in Qatar in early February, having been seventh the week before in Bahrain, so his game looks to be in a great place.
Key stats for Hainan Classic
♦ Marco Penge headed the greens-in-regulation stats on his method to success last year
♦ Just one Chinese player finished in the leading 30 in 2025
♦ Five of the leading 8 finishes in 2015 were likewise in the leading 8 for strokes-gained putting, consisting of the winner
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Course guide for the Hainan Classic
Course Blackstone and Vintage Courses, Hills, Hainan, China
Cash prize $2.55 m ($ 433,500 to the winner).
Length Blackstone - 7,637 backyards, Vintage - 7,331 yards.
Par Both 72 - 4 par-fives, 10 par-fours, 4 par-threes.
Field 120 The cut Top half qualify for last 2 rounds.
Highest-ranked players 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 bet 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 2nd time Mission Hills has actually hosted the Hainan Classic and while all four rounds were used the Blackstone Course in 2015, the Vintage Course will be utilized as well this time, so each of the 120 players will play both courses in the opening two days. This change has made it possible for amateur gamers to be included and decreased the professional field to 120. The Blackstone has wide fairways and is the significantly longer of the 2, while the Vintage represents a various obstacle with lots 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 declare his first DP World Tour success by a three-shot margin.
Weather forecast All four days are anticipated to be dry with temperature levels peaking at about 30C.
Kind of gamer fit to the challenge Penge drove and putted well to come out on the top last year and length off the tee is usually an essential ability on Chinese courses. The Vintage is a bit more fiddly, however will just need to be browsed when.
Key attribute Power.
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