China Open Tips

Angel Ayora has had 3 top-ten finishes in his last 6 events, so is in decent form. His best finish was a T5 in the Qatar Masters.

Daniel Hillier has had a good season so far, and this can be seen on the course at Enhance Anting Golf Club. His tee driving force can be a good weapon, along with his short game coming in to enhance his play for pars and birdies on each hole. This gives him a solid chance of being in the mix on the final day.

Eugenio López-Chacarra stands out on top of the board. He was three strokes behind the winner at this tournament last year. T9 and 2nd in his last two events on the DP World Tour.

Reliable contender following his 5th place in Qatar and 9th in Bahrain. He has since followed that with 29th in South Africa, 14th in the Hainan Classic and then 13th in the Indian Open last time out. Could only finish 66th here last year, but is likely to be much closer to the action this time around.

This young man from China will have the backing of the home support, which can play a key part in him playing with confidence. His short play can let him down at times, but by staying in control and reading the course, he can be a big factor in this Volvo China Open come the final day.

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Has been showing signs of good golf recently, but big numbers have stopped him challenging higher up and for the win.

In August last year, Lawrence claimed his second Omega European Masters title and his fifth overall on the DP World Tour. At the 2024 Open Championship in July, the South African golfer finished solo fourth, three shots behind Xander Schauffele to record his best finish in a major championship. I expect Lawrence to have a good tournament at the China Open.

Yanhan Zhou could be making Enhance Anting Golf Course look easy at times, with birdies appearing. He may be caddied here by his father, Xunshu Zhou, who was a China Tour professional. He can assist his son accurately on how to play his shots with the correct irons, etc.

Antoine Rozner finished 10th here in 2024. At the end of 2020, Rozner won the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai on the Fire Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates. Three months later, Rozner holed a 60-foot birdie putt on the last hole at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters to win by one shot for his second European Tour victory. In December 2022, Rozner won the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open by five shots to claim his third victory on the European Tour. The 33-year-old Frenchman might surprise everyone and win the title here.

Kazuma Kobori enters with strong momentum, gaining over 1.4 strokes per round across his last five events and ranking among the best in driving accuracy at nearly 70 percent. His birdie average sits close to 4.2 per round, and his recent top-10 frequency shows consistent form. These metrics support real winning potential.

Enjoyed a fine 2024 to get his career back on track, and it was understandable that he couldn't maintain those lofty levels last year. Struggled again so far in 2026 but produced his best effort of the year last time out when ninth in the Indian Open. Has a good record in Asia and could build on that latest performance.

Niklas Nørgaard will be hoping to get back to form here. He was a very impressive amateur but has been out of form lately. Could have an each-way chance here.

After a spell of missed cuts, Adrián Otaegui has had three top-ten finishes, so he is a decent each-way selection for this tournament.

13th two years ago in the Volvo China Open, and the Frenchman has been in decent form of late with two top-ten finishes in his last four starts. 9th in the Magical Kenya Open and joint runner-up in the South African Open. I fancy Frédéric Lacroix won't be too far away this week in China.

Three top-25 finishes over the last month, and I am tipping Kota Kaneko. He looks very close to a big week on the DP World Tour. He has plenty of experience on the Asian Tours, and my tip is Kaneko is a serious challenger at the China Open.

The Austrian had top-15 finishes at the South African Open and Joburg Open, and I fancy he ticks a lot of boxes this week. Bernd Wiesberger has wins at the Ballantine's in Korea and the Shenzhen International in China, and I am siding with the multiple DP World Tour winner going close this week.

Nacho Elvira has had one win so far this year at the Dubai International. He has had another top-ten finish and could make the top six this week.

Daniel Van Tonder has been steadily progressive in general over his last few events, possibly close to a good result soon. It's encouraging that he often does well on courses similar to this one.

The German won earlier this year in the Bahrain Championship, and he has two top-20 finishes in his last three starts in South Africa and India. He was tied for 11th two years ago in the China Open, and I fancy Freddy Schott will put a good week together at Enhance Anting.

35th and 26th the last two years in China, and the Frenchman has a top-5 finish in this event. Two top-30s and a 9th in his last four starts, and I am backing Langasque??'has a big week.

Three straight finishes inside the top 20, and I am tipping in a weakened field this week that Sampson Yunhe Zheng could play his way into contention at the China Open. With home support and familiar surroundings, my tip is Zheng looks each-way value.

Jacques Kruyswijk has produced steady numbers, gaining around 0.9 strokes tee-to-green and hitting over 72 percent of greens in regulation. His scoring average has dropped below 70.5 in recent tournaments, and he has multiple top-20 finishes this season. With strong par-5 performance and reliable ball-striking, he profiles as a legitimate contender.

Manuel Elvira’s recent form includes a Strokes Gained: Approach trend above +1.0 and a driving accuracy rate near 68%. He averages around four birdies per round and has posted several top-15 finishes this year. His improved scrambling success rate above 60% gives him the balanced profile needed to challenge for victory.

22nd and 23rd the last two years in China, and I am tipping Sam Bairstow. He will feel he could have really challenged last year. My tip is the Englishman has four good rounds to be right up there challenging for the China Open.

Tom Vaillant ranks highly in ball??'striking, gaining roughly 1.2 strokes per round from tee to green. His greens??'in??'regulation rate exceeds 70 percent, and he has a scoring average around 70.2 this season. With multiple strong weekend performances and consistent birdie conversion, his statistical profile suggests he can contend for the title.

Marcel Schneider brings strong consistency, hitting nearly 73 percent of greens and gaining close to 1.0 strokes on approach. His scoring average sits around 70.3, and he has produced several top-20 finishes recently. With a par-4 scoring trend among the best in the field, he has realistic winning upside this week.

Ashun Wu was ultra impressive in winning this event last year. He has been out of form but could have a good four days back at this event.

David Law is a risky small each-way tip to possibly make the top 6. He's found it difficult in some recent events but, this does look slightly easier so maybe he'll do better in this.

The Scottish golfer was tied 6th in China at the Hainan Classic and tied 11th at the Indian Open after that. He has had good finishes in China, including that top-6 at the Hainan Classic, and I do think Euan Walker is a good bet this week.

The Frenchman has won two China Open titles, and last year he was 36th when not playing well. Alex Lévy plays his best golf in this part of the world, and I do think he will go very close in China yet again.

The German finished 3rd and 19th in his last four China Open appearances, and I think he could be one to watch this week. He was 18th in his last start, and I think Marcel Siem is worth a bet this week at the China Open.

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Andy Sullivan has shown some form lately with two top-10 finishes in his last two events, including a third-place finish most recently, so he rates a chance here.

Angel Ayora will be hoping to improve on his 49th-place finish in this event last year. His best performance this year was 5th place at the Qatar Masters.

T4 at China Open 2025. The Spanish golfer is now in even better form with 2nd and 9th places in the last two events. I can see him winning.

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Matteo Manassero's best performance this year came in the last event he participated in, the Hero Indian Open, where he was 9th. He was 23rd the last time he participated in this event in 2024.

Bernd Wiesberger was 43rd in this event last year. His best performance across the preceding five events was 4th place in 2017. His best performance this year came at the Joburg Open where he was 12th.

Romain Langasque's best performance this year came at the Magical Kenya Open, where he finished in 9th place. He was 26th in this event last year. His best performance across his three previous participations in this event was 3rd in 2019.