The DP World Tour arrives in China this week for the start of the Asian Swing at the Hainan Classic presented by MAEXTRO. Here are your five things to know.
A new format
Co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and the China Tour, the tournament returns for the second year running and this time with an innovative format. A field of 120 top international players and 120 amateurs will compete, with one professional and one amateur playing together in a team across the opening two rounds split between the Blackstone and Vintage courses at Mission Hills Haikou. Both players and amateurs will use buggies over the first two days, with no prize money at play in the team competition. An individual stroke play competition takes place simultaneously, with the top 65 and ties at the halfway stage progressing to play on the Blackstone course over the final 36 holes. The total prize fund for the event is US$2.55 million, with 3,500 Race to Dubai points on offer.
The venue
Mission Hills Haikou, located on the tropical island of Hainan, is one of Asia’s most prestigious golf resorts and boasts ten championship courses. The Blackstone course was solely used for last year’s edition, and previously hosted the 2011 World Cup of Golf, won by American duo Matt Kuchar and Gary Woodland. Known for its striking volcanic rock landscape and strategic design, the course – measuring over 7,700 yards – is one of the longest we see on Tour. The par five 13th measures 681 yards on the scorecard, so length off the tee is likely to be an attribute. Holes on the Vintage, a course that plays over some 250 acres, feature striking, abrupt mounds, deep pots, square edges, ridges, blind shots, long and thin bunkers near both small and huge greens with wicker basket pins. The ninth on the Vintage has a bunker positioned on the green itself - you don't see that often on Tour. Both courses are designed by American course architecht Brian Curley.
Inside the field
Major Championship, Ryder Cup and Rolex Series winner Francesco Molinari will look to build on a promising start to the year on the DP World Tour, highlighted by a fourth-place finish at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January. Fellow multiple DP World Tour winner Dan Bradbury is the top-ranked player on the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World at fourth place, with Andy Sullivan, Calum Hill, Nacho Elvira, Freddy Schott and Angel Ayora also in the top 15 and teeing it up. France’s Martin Couvra will be another to watch out for as he looks to return to the heights of the form that saw him win the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award last year. The event brings together international talent while shining a spotlight on emerging stars from Asia and China. Among the local contingent are Wenyi Ding and Yanhan Zhou, a new member on the DP World Tour this season after winning last year’s Order of Merit on the China Tour. Five-time DP World Tour winner Ashun Wu adds to a strong Chinese line-up.
Start of the Asian Swing
This week sees the start of the Asian Swing, the third of five Global Swings on the 2026 Race to Dubai. Next week, the Hero Indian Open takes place at the notoriously challenging DLF Golf and Country Club. There is then a week’s break before the world’s best – including a host of DP World Tour members – assemble for the Masters Tournament at Augusta National, which does not count towards the Swing rankings. There is then a further week-long pause, before the action resumes with the Volvo China Open. The Swing then draws to a close with the Turkish Airlines Open. The player who wins the most points across the four counting events will win the Swing and gain entry into all events in Phase Two of the season - the Back 9 - and a US$200,000 bonus, with a place at the Genesis Scottish Open also up for grabs. The leading three DP World Tour members at the close of the Asian Swing will qualify for this year's US PGA Championship. At the conclusion of the Back 9, the top 70 players on the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World will then head to the UAE for the start of Phase Three of the season - the DP World Tour Play-Offs.
A busy week on and off the course
The Hainan Classic, one of two events in China on the DP World Tour this season, provides an opportunity for Hainan to strengthen its position as an international golf destination for tourism through attracting golfers and visitors from around the globe. But it isn’t just the tournament action that is taking place, with a Charity Auction Gala happening on Friday to raise money towards developing grassroots golfers into the stars of the future while supporting the continued growth of the game across China and Asia. The event has engaged with a host of local schools, with children set to take in the action on-site across the week, while junior golf clinics will also be staged along with a six-hole fun-filled event for children and their parents. On Saturday, during the third round, eight juniors will have their shot at upstaging the stars in a Beat the Pro initiative on the 15th hole on the Blackstone course. MAEXTRO, China's high-end luxury car brand, have come on board as the presenting sponsor for the event.
