Volvo China Open: Langasque chanced at 47/1

• New layout used in Shanghai 

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• Read my RBC Heritage preview here 

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 it returned to the Asian Tour as part of their International Series in 2023, so last year's renewal was is the first edition back on the DP World Tour in five years.

The tournament has moved slightly forward in the schedule this year, having been played in May in 2024, and we're off to a brand-new venue too - the Robert Trent Jr designed Enhance Anting in Shanghai.

Venue

Enhance Anting Golf Club, Jiading, Shanghai

Course Details

Par 71 - 7,168 yards

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

Information about the course is tough to find and as per usual, the DP World Tour website doesn't even have the yardage, but I have read that "the Club has used the Tif-sports grass seed, which has been developed for championship courses in the Unites States" so I suspect the course and greens are TifEagle Bermuda.

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."

Weather Forecast

TV Coverage

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

Last Eight Winners with Pre-event Exchange Prices

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

Is There an Angle In?

It's never easy when we go to a new venue so our best angle in before the off is likely to be form at other Trent Jones Jr designs, but we don't have an awful lot to go on I'm afraid.

The DP World Tour visited a Jones Jr layout in August last year, for the Danish Golf Championship, won by Frederic Lacroix, but after that we're struggling a bit.

Trent Jr 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.

Matt Cooper took a deep dive prior to the off in Denmark last year and he highlighted Golf Club de Genève in Switzerland, Al Badia in the UAE and Alcanada in Spain as three Trent Jr layouts used on the Challenge Tour.

Genève hosted the last two editions of the Rolex Trophy in 2018 and 2019, and Al Badia was the venue for the 2013 and 2104 editions of the Grand Final but form at Alcanada is the most recent given it hosted the Grand Final in 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024 and that event provided a big clue for Danish Golf Championship. Lacroix finished third at Alcanada in 2023.

There's a list of other Trent Jone Jr courses used on various Tours across the world on this link and I've listed the four most recent events played on a Trent Jr layout below.

Casio Open at Kochi Kuroshio on the Japan Tour in November '24, won by Hiroshi Iwata

Wild Coast Classic at Wild Coast Sun, a Vodacom Origins Series event in South Africa in October '24, won by Jonathan Broomhead

Indonesia Open at Pondok Indah on the Asian tour in September '24, won by Steve Lewton

Sunbet Challenge at Wild Coast Sun on the Sunshine Tour in July '24, won by Jaco Ahlers

All that really achieves is to provide a sense of just how many Trent Jr tracks are used across the world (but not on the DP World or Challenge Tour!).

And after all that research, I'm disappointed to see that Spain's David Puig isn't in the line-up. He finished 13^th on a Trent Jr layout in Egypt back in 2022 and he won the Malaysian Open at The Mines in February last year.

Is There an Identikit Winner?

In the 17 years that the Volvo China Open has been a part of the DP World Tour, players from 14 different countries have won the event. 

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

The 2018 winner, Alexander Bjork, and the 2019 winner, Mikko Korhonen, both went off at 70.069/1 and last year's winner, Adrian Otaegui, who was Spanish when he won but now represents the UAE, was a 50/151.00 chance so outsiders have a reasonable record.

Langasque worth a wager

Romain Langasque finished tied for second behind Lacroix (who's another non-starter here, annonyingly) around Lübker in Denmark last year.

His sole success on the DP World Tour was at Celtic Mannor back in 2020 so I was happy to play him modestly at 48.047/1.

I may have an outsider for the Find Me a 100 Winner column tomorrow but with so little to go on Langasque is my only play before the off.

*You can follow me on Twitter @SteveThePunter

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