After the first Major Championship of the season, the DP World Tour makes the first of back-to-back stops in China as the Asian Swing picks up with the Volvo China Open. Here are your five things to know.
China Open hits 30
After its return to the DP World Tour’s Global Schedule 12 months ago, the Volvo China Open celebrates its 30th edition this week. Founded in 1995, the Volvo China Open is the longest-running international professional golf tournament in Chinese mainland and first formed part of the DP World Tour schedule in 2004. Over the years, the Volvo China Open has produced several homegrown champions, including the recognised pair Ashun Wu (2015) and Haotong Li (2016). A 156-player field boasting defending champion Adrian Otaegui, emerging home talents Wenyi Ding and Jin Zihao, recent first-time DP World Tour winners Eugenio Chacarra and Alejandro del Rey, and a mix of experienced regulars and exciting up-and-coming stars will play for the $2.55 million prize money on offer. This year sees the national championship return to Shanghai as we make our first visit to city since the WGC-HSBC Champions. Volvo Cars will continue to serve as title sponsor of the China Open through to 2029.
Otaegui defends
Last year, Otaegui came from five shots behind on the final day to claim his fifth DP World Tour title. With the event reduced to 54 holes due to thunder and lightning on Saturday, in-form Sebastian Söderberg was aiming to seal a wire-to-wire victory at Hidden Grace Golf Club. However, the Swede struggled on Sunday as Otaegui produced a flawless display and back-to-back birdies from the 16th helped him to a one-stroke victory. "I had to wait a little bit since I finished, see what was happening in the final group but luckily for me, things turned up well and I'm extremely happy,” he said. "I was starting five shots back and I tried not to look at the leaderboard, not think about the result, try to play how I played on Thursday and Friday and think if things go well, it's a course where I can have some birdie chances.” Since then, the 32-year-old has switched nationality from Spain to the United Arab Emirates. After making his opening five cuts of the season, he has has since struggled and comes into the week in 105th on the Race to Dubai Rankings.
All to play for as the Swing resumes
After the eyes of the golfing world turned to The Masters last week, this is the third of four counting events on the Asian Swing. With consecutive runner-up finishes in Singapore and India, Japan’s Keita Nakajima will be looking to extend his lead at the top of the Swing rankings. But on the back of his maiden DP World Tour title at the Hero Indian Open, Spaniard Chacarra – now exempt on Tour until the end of next season – is on his heels, trailing by 193 points. With third-placed Richard Mansell opting to skip both this week and next week’s Hainan Classic at Mission Hills Resort Haikou, the chase is on for those just behind with a host of rewards on offer through to the climax of the Swing. Among those, the players who finish first to third only in the Swing will also earn a spot in the field for the season's second Major, the US PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club from May 15-18.
Enhance Anting plays host
Comprised of players from the DP World Tour and the China Tour, the 156-strong field for the Volvo China Open will tee it up at Shanghai Enhance Anting Golf Club. The Robert Trent Jones II-designed club in the city’s Jiading District will host China’s national open for the next three years. Opened in 2005, the par-72, 7,317-yard course is considered a Trent Jones II masterpiece. Running adjacent to Suzhou Creek, the parkland-style course features an interconnected system of lakes, wetlands for wildlife and waterfowl, abundant mounding and hills and fescue grasses that are best avoided. The course finishes with one of the famed American designer’s signature “crescendo” holes in the par-five 18th, a 614-yard monster of a hole with a split fairway leading to an elevated green that is sure to provide the championship with dramatic finishes. Shanghai has had a long association with the Volvo China Open and 2025 will mark the tenth time a club in China’s financial capital has hosted the championship.
Building a sustainable tournament
Guided by the European Tour Group’s Green Drive initiative, the tournament will implement measures to create a green, eco-friendly and sustainable event for the second year running. Sustainability has been a focus for event organisers since 2019 and the tournament has integrated green and sustainable practices into every aspect of event preparation, organisation, and post-event utilisation since 2021. Building on initiatives such as paperless operations, plastic reduction and low-carbon transportation, this year’s tournament will further innovate its practices. Volvo Cars will collaborate with the event to launch two public welfare initiatives – the “Volvo Cars AED Road Messenger Alliance” and the “Volvo Cars Xiao Hong Ma Safety Education”. These programs will integrate road safety awareness and environmental consciousness into the tournament through first-aid training and interactive safety workshops. In the Public Village, Volvo Cars will showcase sustainable products: the Norico collection, made from natural pine resin from sustainably managed forests in Finland and Sweden combined with recycled PET bottles, and the Kaka travel mug, which reduces the use of non-degradable materials by incorporating coffee grounds.
