The tournament is being played at this venue for the first time although it has often been played in the Beijing area.
Still for those twenty they get the opportunity to play for a first prize of €398,000 and the possibility of gaining access to the European Tour if they were to win the event.
Two players who contended late into the event at the Masters two weeks ago will also be amongst those expected to do well. Peter Hanson eventually finished in a share of third at Augusta National Titleist 712 AP1 Irons after leading into the final round while Ian Poulter finished 7th after finishing 3rd in his previous start at Bay Hill.
New Zealander Mike Hendry gets a start as a result of his status on the OneAsia Tour and his recent victory at the NZPGA Championship suggests he might have a good week. The former Indonesian Open winner is a late bloomer and it would seem is headed for bigger and better things.
The tournament’s co sanctioning with OneAsia hardly gets a mention in any of the pre tournament European Tour publicity and perhaps that is because there are only twenty from the OneAsia Tour included in the tournament’s 156 man line-up. For a supposed co-sanctioned event there appears to be an inequity.
The Australasians in the field are headed in terms of world ranking by Marcus Fraser although the Victorian’s most recent form is a concern given that he has missed the cut in his last two starts.
Hanson has not won in 18 months or more but he has put himself in the mix in so many events where the fields were stronger than that on display this week that he must be a chance. He is the leading world ranked player in this field.
Richard Green will play only his Titleist 712 AP2 Irons 7th event of the year this week and apart from one good week in Italy there has not been a lot to show from the times he has played.
Spain’s Rafael Cabrera Bello has not missed a cut in his last 14 starts worldwide, a run that has include a win at the Dubai Desert Classic against a field considerably stronger than discount golf clubs that he faces this week and a 3rd place finish last week.
Nicolas Colsaerts will start as one of the favourites given that he is the defending champion and has played well in 2012. In eight starts this season Colsaerts has made all cuts and been inside the top ten on four occasions. Although this is a different venue to that which he won on last year he is a possibility to successfully defend.
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