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 trip bow 12 months back, a second course has actually been presented, in addition to amateur gamers, but efficiency off the tee need to still be a big asset for those seeking 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 suggestion

Angel Ayora 9-1

Just one gamer worldwide’s leading 100, South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence, will be at today’s Hainan Classic, however Angel Ayora is hovering simply listed below that mark and he could take his possibility after a series of strong efficiencies.

The Spaniard looks a class above this sort of business and while he has yet to break his DP World Tour duck, his consistency suggests it is just 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 4 competitions suggest he is knocking on the door.

Ayora did not dip into Mission Hills last year when Marco Penge triumphed, but the data suggest he might be a good fit.

Penge was third in stroke-gained off the tee and 8th on technique, so with Ayora ranked fifth and ninth in those metrics this year, the resemblances are clear.

He struck a 64 in his opening round last time at the Joburg Open, where his 18th may be considered as a small disappointment, but he looks fully equipped to get better.

With his technique skills maybe being more valuable on the second course, the Vintage, offering a higher test of accuracy, do not be amazed 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 change has actually been more marked since he recovered from a quite disappointing 2025.

However, he got his act together to survive qualifying school and has actually been taking advantage of his chances.

Since the beginning of February, he has completed ninth in Bahrain, fifth in Kenya, ninth at the South African Open and 12th in Joburg, so confidence ought to not be an issue.

He makes his place launching however the gamer who is ranked 13th in the strokes-gained off-the-tee charts might find the examination to his preference.

Other choice

Grant Forrest 30-1

Grant Forrest is one gamer who has experience of this competition, albeit when all 4 rounds were played on the Blackstone Course, having finished 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 could go well reasonably fresh.

He was 15th in Qatar in early February, having been seventh the week before in Bahrain, so his video game seems in a good place.

Key statistics for Hainan Classic

♦ Marco Penge headed the greens-in-regulation stats on his way to triumph last year
♦ Just one Chinese player ended up in the leading 30 in 2025
♦ Five of the top eight finishes last year were also in the top 8 for strokes-gained putting, including 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 backyards, Vintage – 7,331 yards.

Par Both 72 – 4 par-fives, ten par-fours, four 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 bet By 11.20 pm on Wednesday.

Time distinction Hainan is 8 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 played on the Blackstone Course last year, the Vintage Course will be used too this time, so each of the 120 players will play both courses in the opening two days. This modification has allowed amateur players to be involved and decreased the expert field to 120. The has broad fairways and is the substantially longer of the 2, while the Vintage represents a various obstacle with lots of doglegs and blind shots to be worked out on the tree-lined track that is greatly bunkered.

Story of last year Marco Penge kept his cool with a closing 67 to declare his 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.

Type of player fit to the difficulty Penge drove and putted well to come out on leading last year and length off the tee is generally an essential skill on Chinese courses. The Vintage is a bit more fiddly, but will just need to be browsed when.

Key characteristic Power.

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