Top field confirmed for Volvo China Open

As the 31st Volvo China Open gets set to tee off in less than two weeks at Enhance Anting Golf Club, tournament organizers released its final players list, revealing one of the strongest fields yet for the national championship.

With the $2.75 million tournament taking place April 23-26, in Jiading district, defending champion Wu Ashun will attempt to make history by becoming the first player to win the championship three times. His first win at the China Tour and DP World Tour co-sanctioned tournament came in 2015.

"Ten years ago, winning the Volvo China Open gave me the opportunity to move to the European Tour," said the Xiamen native, a five-time winner on the DP World Tour. "Then, the year before last, I lost my European Tour card. Last year, I won the Volvo China Open again and earned my way back. Without a doubt I am the player who has benefited the most from this tournament."

For Wu to make a successful title defense, he will have to best a field that includes New Zealander Daniel Hillier and South African Thriston Lawrence, No 91 and No 100, respectively, in the Official World Golf Ranking. Others in the 156-player field are 28 tournament winners from the past two seasons on the DP World Tour, the top 40 players from the China Tour, and 12 players who earned their spot through the 36-hole Volvo China Open Qualifying tournament held earlier this month.

After winning last year's championship at Enhance Anting by one stroke in carding six birdies over the final 11 holes, Wu said he is ready for his title defense despite enduring a nagging "tennis elbow" that has plagued him the past two years.

"This win meant far more than just another championship," said the 40-year-old evergreen who has played in only 11 tournaments since last year's victory. "The win gave me a two-year (playing) exemption and allows me to focus on treatment and recovery."

Injury aside, the deep and talented field chasing the $467,500 winner's purse is undoubtedly a formidable challenge for Wu. Among the notables are Spaniard Nacho Elvira, winner of the Dubai Invitational, German Freddy Schott, the Bahrain Championship winner, and Jordan Gumberg, the American who won the Hainan Classic last month.

With five-time DP World Tour winner Lawrence making his Volvo China Open debut, others not to be overlooked include Andy Sullivan, the veteran English pro who is fourth in the Race to Dubai Rankings, and Frenchman Martin Couvra, the 2025 DP World Tour rookie of the year. Former Volvo China Open champions Alexander Levy (France) and Adrian Otaegui (United Arab Emirates) are also in the field, as is Spaniard Eugenio Chacarra who battled Li Haotong in the final group last year.

The Chinese contingent is equally impressive as it includes DP World Tour members Ding Wenyi and Zhou Yanhan, Asian Tour regular Sampson Zheng, and China Tour champions Zhang Xinjun, Jin Zihao, Charles Wang, and Tong Yang. Top junior standouts Han Jin, Wang Haoyi, and Li Mengyang are also confirmed.

Kiwi Hillier returns to Shanghai in the midst of a career-best season that started with two top-10 finishes in Australia in December. After finishing runner-up at the Dubai Invitational, he went one better in March in winning the New Zealand Open.

He is appearing in the Volvo China Open for a third straight year after finishing equal 36th last year at the Robert Trent Jones II-designed Enhance Anting course.

"I love coming to China and this event. The Chinese fans are always very supportive," said Hillier, a 27-year-old Wellington native who represented his country with teammate Ryan Fox at the 2024 Olympic Games.

"Enhance Anting is a challenging course, but I think it suits my game as you have to drive it well out there. Off the tee is important, and being disciplined with my strategy and patient all week as there are some tricky holes out there."

With the Volvo China Open being the penultimate event of the DP World Tour's four-tournament Asian Swing, the top three players after the Turkish Airline Open the week following Shanghai will earn a place in the field for the PGA Championship. Hillier called the chance to play in the year's second major a great incentive for any player.

"It's been a great few months on and off the course. I know I play my best when I'm relaxed and trying to enjoy my golf as much as possible. I feel really confident with the driver and that's freed up my approach game and putting," he said.

"Every week we try to win, but I won't get too far ahead (of myself). I will just focus on executing good shots and the result will take care of itself."