Volvo China Open: Ferguson fancied at 35/1

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Volvo China Open Tournament History

First staged in 1995, the Volvo China Open was a DP World Tour event between 2005 and 2019 but it fell off the schedule after Mikko Korhonen beat Benjamin Herbert in a playoff at what was then called, Genzon Golf Club.

Due to the pandemic, the 2020 and 2021 editions were sole sanctioned China Tour events, the 2022 renewal was cancelled altogether, and the event returned to the Asian Tour as part of their International Series in 2023, so the 2024 edition was the first edition back on the DP World Tour in five years.

Having been staged in May in 2024 at the Hidden Grace Golf Club (formerly the Genzon Golf Club), the tournament moved to April last year and to the Robert Trent Jr designed Enhance Anting in Shanghai, and that's where we return for this year's edition.

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Venue

Enhance Anting Golf Club, Jiading, Shanghai.

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Course Details

Par 71 - 7,168 yards
Scoring Average in 2025 - 72.29

Designed by Robert Trent Jr in 2005, Enhance Anting is a tree-lined and open parkland track with a relatively flat terrain although Jones masked the surrounding industrial landscape by constructing huge mounds around the periphery of the site.

Situated alongside the Wusong Jiang River in the Jiading district, around 20 miles west of Shanghai, water is a constant theme throughout with ponds and lakes framing the layout.

The course appeared in The Rolex World's Top 1000 Golf Courses with the following edited narrative extract:

"Situated only twelve miles from the city's historic Bund district, the club has transformed the area into a true oasis, one well equipped to handle visiting golfers with its plush amenity-packed clubhouse and adjoining Crowne Plaza hotel. Characterized by extensive use of water, the course also boasts attractive bunkering, the two combining to create an enjoyable yet testing layout, one known for its risk-reward elements.

The eighteen holes make their way through lovegrass and fescues, native grasses which help define the line of each hole, which in autumn turn a golden hue, contrasting beautifully with emerald-green playing surfaces. The planting of cedar and magnolia trees adds a feeling of environmental harmony, remarkable given that the site was once a barren wasteland."

Water is in play on nine holes, the Bermuda greens are quite small and there are 64 bunkers in total, ranging in size from small pot bunkers to very large ones that creep into the landing areas.

Ashun Wu won his second China Open title here 12 months ago, 10 years after his first, with a 14-under-par total.

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Weather Forecast 

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TV Coverage

Live on Sky Sports all for days, starting at 5:30 on Thursday in the UK.

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Last 10 Winners with Pre-event Exchange Prices

2025 - Ashun Wu -14 450.0449/1
2024 - Adrian Otaegui - 18 (54 holes) 50.049/1
2023 - Sarit Suwannarut -19 (Asian Tour event)
2022 - No Event
2021 - Zhang Jin -8 (China Tour Event)
2020 - Zhang Huilin -19 (China Tour Event)
2019 - Mikko Korhonen -20 (Playoff)  70.069/1
2018 - Alexander Bjork -18 70.069/1
2017 - Alexander Levy -17 25.024/1
2016 - Haotong Li -22 140.0139/1 

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The 2025 Result at Enhance Anting

With only one result to go on, we can't give the stats too much credence, but Enhance Anting appears a classic second shot golf course.

The worst any of the top six ranked for Strokes Gained: Tee-to Green was 28^th (Haotong Li in tied fourth) and none of them ranked any worse than 19^th for Greens In Regulation.

Finding the smallish greens was clearly important, although the winner, Wu, separated himself from the rest around the putting surfaces, ranking first for both Strokes Gained: Around the Green and Scrambling.

Wu only ranked 23^rd for Putting Average and 28^th for SG: Putting and the man in second, Jordan Smith, is certainly not renowned for his flatstick prowess but he is an exceptional tee-to-green player.

Here's the top six with all the traditional stats.

(Key: DD - Driving Distance; DA - Driving Accuracy; GIR - Greens in Regulation; SC - Scrambling; PA - Putting Average) 

2025
Ashun Wu -14 - DD: 43, DA: 16, GIR: 5, SC: 1, PA: 23 
Jordan Smith -13 - DD: 10, DA: 16, GIR: 2, SC: 20, PA: 38 
Yannik Paul -12 - DD: 48, DA: 2, GIR: 19, SC: 4, PA: 7 
Eugenio Chacarra -11 - DD: 5, DA: 53, GIR: 11, SC: 3, PA: 37 
Haotong Li -11 - DD: 38, DA: 53, GIR: 19, SC: 31, PA: 4 
Zecheng Dou -11 - No Stats Available

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Other Robert Trent Jones Jr layouts to consider

In addition to this venue, used for the first time last year, the DP World Tour visited a Jones Jr layout in August 2024, for the Danish Golf Championship, won by Frederic Lacroix, but we don't have too much to go on with regards to other Trent Jr designed courses.

He designed Bro Hoff Slott in Sweden, which hosted five editions of what's now called the Scandinavian Mixed (then the Nordea Masters) between 2010 and 2016, and he also designed Wentworth Hills in Wales.

Wentworth Hills is no more but nine holes were used, in combination with nine new holes, to form the Twenty Ten Course at the Celtic Manor Resort, which hosted the Ryder Cup in 2010, as well as the Wales Open up until 2022.

Robert Trent Jones Jr was also responsible for 2015 US Open venue, Chambers Bay, and on the Challenge and Asian Tours Damai Indah, Miklagard, Moscow, Ta Shee, The Mines, Al Badia, Santiburi Samai, Golf Club de Genève, and Yalong Bay have also been used.

Genève hosted the last two editions of the Rolex Trophy in 2018 and 2019, and Al Badia was the venue for the 2013 and 2014 editions of the Grand Final but form at Alcanada is the most recent given it hosted the Grand Final in 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, and that event provided a big clue for Danish Golf Championship. Lacroix finished third at Alcanada in 2023.

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Is There an Identikit Winner?

In the 18 years that the Volvo China Open has been a part of the DP World Tour, players from 14 different countries have won the event.

Korea's Y.E Yang was quite well fancied back in 2010 and the 2017 winner, Alex Levy, was a well-fancied 25.024/1 chance but the six winners in-between were difficult to find.

The 2018 winner, Alexander Bjork, and the 2019 winner, Mikko Korhonen, both went off at 70.069/1, the 2024 winner, Adrian Otaegui, was a 50/151.00 chance and Wu was matched at as big as 530.0529/1 before the off last year, despite having won the tournament 10 years earlier, so outsiders have a reasonable record. 

2015 2025

Ashun Wu's first win on the DP World Tour was 9 years and 359 days ago at the Volvo China Open. Today, he's just won it again for the second time #VolvoChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/PgiFgQcSrH

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

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2025 Winner's Position and Exchange Price Pre-Round Four

2025 - Ashun Wu - tied eighth and four back 60.059/1

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In-Play Tactics

Jordan Smith was matched at a low of 1.75/7 when he led last year's event by a stroke with three holes to play but Wu drew level with a birdie at 16 and Smith made a mess of his drive on the short par four 17^th.

Smith made a bogey five after taking a penalty drop as Wu got up-and-down from the greenside bunker for a birdie three and the home hero went to the last with a two-stroke lead.

Smith birdied the par five last to close the gap to one but it was too little too late for the Englishman.

The first three home had trailed by six, five and four strokes respectively at halfway so on the evidence of just one renewal, it looks like a track where you can come from off the pace.

If you're betting in-running, bear in mind that the front nine is considerably harder than the back nine.

The three hardest holes last year were the sixth, fifth and second holes and the three easiest holes were all encountered after the turn.

The front nine averaged 1.21 over its par of 35 and the back nine averaged just 0.08 over its par of 36.

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Ferguson fancied at 35/1

The in-form Scotsman, Ewen Ferguson, looks a fair price at 33/134.00 in what is a very weak event.

The three-time DP World Tour winner was never in the hunt here last year, finishing 32^nd, but the course experience is a plus and he arrives back in China in better form than last year having finished sixth in the Indian Open last time out.

Prior to that he'd finished inside the top 10 in the South African Open before a disappointing effort in the Joburg Open, where he finished tied for 57^th.

Ferguson's game is clearly in good nick given he ranked second for Greens In Regulation in the South African Open and first in each of his last two starts and that bodes well if last year's stats are anything to go by.

Ferguson's putting has been letting him down of late but the front two last year only ranked 23^rd and 38^th for Putting Average so a modest improvement on the greens this week might be enough if he can continue his excellent tee-to-green game.

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