Volvo China Open 2025 Tips: Jamie’s Each-Way picks range from 35/1 to 125/1

The DP World Tour springs back into life in China as part of a two-legged swing through the country, starting with the Volvo China Open this Thursday from the Enhance Anting Golf Club in Shanghai. This venue is hosting the event for the first time. A purse of $2,550,000 is up for grabs

As always, here is Jamie Worsley's comprehensive preview and has five players on his betting radar. He takes us through why he's made those picks and you can check out his Volvo China Open 2025 Betting Tips with us right here at Betfred Insights...

The DP World Tour returns from a three-week absence this week, with the first of back-to-back events in China that will bring the Asian Swing to a close.  

The Mission Hills Resort is the destination next week for the inaugural Hainan Classic, but first it's to Enhance Anting Golf Club in Shanghai for the Volvo China Open. 

TOURNAMENT HISTORY 

The China Open debuted on the Asian Tour in 1995, before becoming co-sanctioned with the DP World Tour in 2004. It remained part of the DPWT schedule up until 2020, when the pandemic forced the China Tour to go it alone, but it re-assumed its status as a co-sanctioned event last year.  

As yet, France's Alexander Levy is the only player to record multiple victories in this event, which came in 2014 and 2017. 

Meanwhile, there have been just two Chinese winners of the tournament on the DPWT, as Ashun Wu (2015) and Haotong Li (2016) thrilled home fans in consecutive years.  

Adrian Otaegui won last year upon its return to the DPWT, taking down Guido Migliozzi by one shot in a tournament that was reduced to 54 holes due to bad weather. He returns to defend his title this week. 

THE COURSE 

Following the previous five editions being staged at Hidden Grace Golf Club, we're introduced to a new course for this renewal, in the shape of Enhance Anting Golf Club. A Robert Trent Jones Jnr design that opened in 2005. 

The course will play as a par 71 and measures 7168yds. It possesses 4x par 3s (174-226yds), 11x par 4s (348-488yds) and 3x par 5s (568-614yds). 

This previously unremarkable and flat piece of land has been transformed into a visually appealing parkland course. It is reasonably open, with trees rarely encroaching on play and manmade mounds litter the perimeter of the venue, to seclude it from the surrounding industrialised area. 

The course is packed with large, eye-catching bunkers, which frame most of the holes and protect landing areas, whilst native fescue sits aside the fairways throughout. 

Additionally, water hazards are a prominent feature, with eight in total to be found around the property. This no doubt contributes to the enjoyable risk/reward dynamic that has been attributed to Enhance Anting GC. 

THE WEATHER 

There doesn't appear to be any sign of the weather that plagued this event last year, with hot, sunny and clear conditions predicted for most of the week. 

A constant 10mph breeze – which is said to swirl and be unpredictable around this course – along with gusts of up to 25mph, adds another element for the players to manage.  

KEY STATS 

• SG: Approach/Greens-in-Regulation 

• SG: Off-the-Tee and/or Driving Accuracy 

• Birdie Average 

• Par 4 Scoring 

It's difficult to know exactly what to expect this week but with that "fun, risk/reward" description of the course, I'm going to lean on the strongest ball strikers. Players that are most likely to both avoid the dangers that lurk frequently around the setup and thus, put themselves in a position attack.  

Furthermore, the par 4s will be where this event is won and lost, with a fine balance between scoring opportunities – with five of the 11 coming in at under 400yds – and holes on which par will be a good score.  

CORRELATING EVENTS/COURSES 

Again, we have little to go off in relation to finding comp events/courses this week but there are a handful of venues that appear to share similarities with Enhance Anting GC. 

One that jumped out at me was Open de France host, Le Golf National. It's another reasonably flat and open course, with manmade mounds – which are laden with fescue grass – framing the holes. In addition, water is a significant danger there, coming into play on 10 holes. 

Host of the former European Open, Green Eagle's North Course and Ras Al Khaimah Championship host, Al Hamra Golf Club are two additional course that share some of those same similarities. 

The climate here can often be a challenge and anybody with form in this part of the world should be more comfortable in the conditions. This doesn't just include past form in this event, but we should also look towards the Genesis Championship at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea and the Singapore Classic at Laguna National's Classic Course. Each of these courses are open, well bunkered and possess lots of water in-play to create that similar risk/reward feel. 

THE FIELD 

This week's field is headed by world #80, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, who returns from a short but successful stint on the PGA Tour, where he finished 2nd in Puerto Rico and 22nd in the Valspar Championship. There is just one further player from inside the top 100, in the shape of South Africa's Shaun Norris and Keita Nakajima of Japan would be the next highest-ranking player at #102. 

Adrian Otaegui is the defending champion and one of six former winners among the entries. He's joined by Jin Zhang, who won the China Tour version of the event in 2021, alongside DPWT winners: Alexander Levy (2017, 2014), Haotong Li (2016), Ashun Wu (2015) and Nicolas Colsaerts (2011). 

Sebastian Soderberg makes his first start since the Kenya Open back in February and Eugenio Chacarra will tee it up again after breaking through on the tour on his previous start in India.  

Meanwhile, keep an eye on 16-year-old, Xihuan Chang. He's the current top-ranked amateur from China at #42 in the WAGR, and he will join the University of California's golf program at the start of the 2025/26 season. 

SELECTIONS 

Market leaders (1/4 5 places): Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen 16/1, Jordan Smith 20/1, Keita Nakajima 20/1, Haotong Li 22/1, Wenyi Ding 25/1, Eugenio Chacarra 25/1, Matthew Jordan 25/1 

Due to the unknowns with the course, this isn't a week to be getting stuck in too heavily at the top of the betting, and I'm going to go with a lighter and more speculative group of selections this week. Starting with Spain's Alejandro Del Rey – one of the most prolific birdie-makers on the DPWT. 

Alejandro Del Rey 

Del Rey showed plenty of promise over the course of his first two seasons on the DPWT and he finally turned that promise into a win at the start of this season, as he ran away with the Ras Al Khaimah Championship by four shots.  

He missed his next two cuts immediately following that breakthrough success, but he's bounced back in his next three starts; most recently finishing 14th in the Singapore Classic when we last saw him. 

The Spaniard ranks 4th in birdie average this season and also sits 14th in par 4 scoring. It's the driver that has again been his biggest weapon, ranking 30th; having said that, as a player who ranks inside the top 40 in putting and the top 50 in approach and greens-in-regulation, he's doing most things to a good level this year. 

Del Rey typically plays well in East Asia, finishing 35th on his China Open debut in 2024; whilst he's also recorded finishes of 3rd, 7th and 14th on his three starts in the Singapore Classic, as well as a 14th in the Genesis Championship. Furthermore, his win in Ras Al Khaimah may turn out to be a handy piece of form in relation to this test and help him towards a second tour title. 

Ricardo Gouveia 

Ricardo Gouveia's latest victory came in China on the HotelPlanner Tour back in 2023. He now returns to the country playing some of the best golf of his career on the DPWT in 2025 and with his iron play a continued strength, he can earn a breakthrough win on the tour at Enhance Anting GC. 

Gouveia ended the previous year strongly, finishing 3rd in the Genesis Championship. He's maintained that high level of form this season, recording six top-25 finishes across his 11 starts and he arrives here after making a promising start to the Asian Swing, as he recorded consecutive finishes of 14th in Singapore and 17th in India. 

He's scoring well this season, ranking 26th in birdie average and has done most of his best work on the par 4s, ranking 13th in par 4 scoring. His approach play has been key, ranking 27th, but he's also a steady driver and looking sound on the greens, there's much to be encouraged by. 

Gouveia won the Hainan Open on the HotelPlanner Tour in 2023 and recorded his best China Open finish of 23rd last year. His 3rd in the Genesis Championship in 2024 bodes well, whilst he's also recorded top-20 finishes in Singapore, France and the European Open. 

Pablo Larrazabal 

Pablo Larrazabal has recorded two top-10 finishes in his last four starts and coming in after a more solid ball-striking performance in India when we last saw him, this nine-time DPWT winner looks great value in China. 

Pablo has made six starts this season and although missing the cut in half of them, he's also recorded those two top 10s. He really ought to have won in Bahrain four starts ago, as he began his 72nd hole with a one-shot lead and only needed a par to win. However, he uncharacteristically three-putted the final hole for bogey, before then losing a resulting playoff to Laurie Canter. He did miss his next two cuts following that, but returned to form in India three weeks ago, finishing 10th. 

The long game looked under much better control there, as he gained strokes with the driver and irons, at the same time as ranking inside the top 20 in GIR. If able to reproduce a similar performance at this week's venue, he'll be a real danger. 

Larrazabal has a great record in China, recording four top 10s in this event, which includes a best of 3rd in 2017. He won at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in 2023 and having also finished 3rd in Ras Al Khaimah in 2022, he looks underestimated in the betting this week. 

Jeff Winther 

Denmark's Jeff Winther has been in steady form this season, teeing it up this week after making his last four cuts on the spin. He produced one of his best iron performances of the year when we last saw him in India and possessing some potentially attractive comp form, I like the look of him in China. 

Winther missed the cut in the Dubai Desert Classic on his first start this year, but he has since missed just one of his last six. His highest finish came when 25th in Qatar four starts ago and that aforementioned strong iron display led to a 31st-place finish in India three weeks ago. 

He may have expected to go a little better than that at DLF with his improved approach play, but he had an off week on the greens. That has historically been his biggest strength, therefore I'm confident he can return to form with the club this week and if able to maintain quality with the irons, he can roll in plenty of birdies.  

Winther has made the cut in each start in Singapore, finishing 11th last year. However, it's his excellent record in France, where he's finished runner-up in the last two years, that gives us most reason for optimism this week. 

Hamish Brown 

I'm going to finish with Winther's fellow Dane, Hamish Brown. He's gone off the boil after making a positive start to his rookie season; although, his aggressive style should suit this layout and having won in China on the HotelPlanner Tour last season, I'm hoping he'll be rejuvenated by the break. 

Brown won twice on the HotelPlanner Tour last season, the second of which came in the Hainan Open back in October. This helped him to 5th in the season-long rankings there and thus earned him an upgrade to the DPWT this season.  

He started the season well, finishing 28th in the Alfred Dunhill Championship and 16th in Mauritius at the end of last year, carrying that form over into 2025, finishing 8th in Ras Al Khaimah on his first start of the year. However, he's subsequently missed four cuts and will need to rediscover form. 

As a powerfully explosive ball striker, he can be a little volatile, but he racks up birdies for fun when he's on it. This is something that is evidenced by rankings of 16th in birdie average and 10th in par 4 scoring despite those missed cuts. 

That type of profile will mean feast or famine for Brown this week, but he's worth the risk at the price and with that 8th-place finish in Ras Al Khaimah complementing his win in the Hainan Open in 2024, I'm hoping this event/layout will spark the talented 26-year-old back into life. 

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