Hainan Classic: Hot Haotong a worthy favourite at 14/1

• Big hitters set to prosper on Hainan

• Potential draw bias highlighted

• Li looks the man to beat this week

• Read my Zurich Classic of New Orleans preview here

Tournament History

Following Ashun Wu's victory in the Volvo China Open on Sunday, the DP World Tour moves south to the island of Hainan, China's southernmost province, some 12,000 miles south of last week's venue in Shanghai.

This is the first edition of the Hainan Classic and it's the final event on the DP World Tour's Asian Swing.

Venue

Blackstone Course, Mission Hills Resort, Haikou, Hainan Island, China

Course Details

Par 72, 7,711 yards 

With undulating wide fairways, framed by dense jungle and lava rock, the Blackstone Course is one of10 courses at the Mission Hills Resort.

Blackstone hosted the now defunct World Cup of Golf back in 2011 when Gary Woodland and Matt Kuchar won the title with a winning total of 24-under-par.

The hole descriptions from the World Cup are linked here and if the distances on the DP World Tour website are correct, the only change is on the finishing hole, which has been reduced in distance from 539 yards to 470 and it now plays as a par four instead of a par five.

The course is extensively bunkered with steep elevation changes. It's a very long course and in the heat and humidity, it will prove to be a stern test with rain predicted to fall on all four days.

Weather Forecast

TV Coverage

The tournament is not listed as being on Sky Sports this week but it may be behind the Red Button.

Big hitters set to prosper

As always with a new venue, there really isn't much to go on but Matt Cooper quotes Rory McIlroy from 2011 in his each-way piece here and Gary Woodland conveyed similar sentiments about the venue too.

It's extremely generous off the tee and the big hitters should be advantaged given the course's length.

An early start on Thursday could be a big plus

Wind is often a factor at Mission Hills but the theme this week, if the forecasts can be believed, is rain.

Precipitation to varying degrees is predicted on all four days and the windiest spell is forecasted to be on Thursday afternoon, with the breeze projected to gust at in excess of 25 mph.

Placing too much trust in weather forecasts isn't always a great idea but if it does pan out that way an early start on Thursday could be a big plus.

In-Play Tactics

As highlighted in Monday's De-brief, we witnessed an odds-on shot getting beaten in all three tournaments last week and it's always worth taking on odds-on chances on the DP World Tour.

The start to Sunday's final round of the Volvo China Open was calamitous, with nerves playing a big part, and after just two holes of round four, the last two pairings were a combined six-over-par. This week's pre-event favourite, Haotong Li, was extremely unfortunate to make bogey at the first.

"Has that gone in? HAS THAT GONE IN?"

Haotong Li hits the cup inside the hole and the ball bounces out #VolvoChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/dDvfNfd9xA

-- DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) April 20, 2025

Week after week we witness at least one player trading at odds-on before getting beaten on the DP World Tour and quite often two, three or even more players go odds-on before ultimately tripping up.

We'll know a bit more after the opening round, when we can view the hole averages. But given the 17^th is a lengthy par four and that the last hole has been converted from a gettable par five to a lengthy par four, anyone coming from off the pace and posting a score on Sunday, might be worth siding with in-running.

The market always favours those out on the course over those in the house. Looking at the length of the last two holes, however, I'd favour someone who has completed their final round over anyone with two holes still to play.

Hot Haotong a worthy favourite

With his market rivals, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and Eugenio Chacarra, paired together on Thursday afternoon, Haotong Li looks fairly priced before the off at around 14/115.00.

The extremely unfortunate break on the first set the tone for Li on Sunday but this looks like a great opportunity for him to bounce back and return to winning ways.

The 29-year-old has been lightly raced since capturing the Qatar Masters in February but with improving form figures reading 41-16-9-4 since - and with what could prove to be a highly beneficial early tee time on day one - he looks like the man to beat. I was happy to play him modestly before the off.

*You can follow me on Twitter @SteveThePunter

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