– The DP World Tour will this week mark its 55th tournament in China with the staging of the Hainan Classic, since the first time a BMW Asian Open was played in May 2004 which, of all things, was won by a Spanish player, Miguel Ángel Jiménez.
– That victory by the Andalusian was something of an excellent omen for the Spanish contingent in the Asian giant, as it totals five wins (Jiménez, Gonzalo Fernández Castaño (2), Sergio García and the most recent by Adrián Otaegui, in 2024, when he was still competing under the Spanish flag). Only England, with six, has more wins than the Spanish contingent in Chinese territory. And the United States also holds five victories.
– There are six players who have won twice in China. One we have already mentioned, Fernández Castaño. The other five are Paul Casey, Y. E. Yang, Phil Mickelson, Alex Levy and Ashun Wu. Of all of them only the Chinese player Wu is playing this week, and he could be the first to reach three victories.
– Also this week Francesco Molinari, Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Adrián Otaegui are present, each already having a victory on Chinese soil. Otaegui could become a two-time winner under two different flags, as he now competes representing the United Arab Emirates, a record that is difficult to match.
– There are thirteen Spaniards present this week at the Hainan Classic who could add the sixth win on Chinese soil for Spanish golf, which would again tie us with England as the main powers out there. They are Sebas García, Ángel Hidalgo, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Iván Cantero, Rocco Repetto, Jorge Campillo, Nacho Elvira, Manu Elvira, Pablo Larrazábal, Ángel Ayora, Eugenio Chacarra, Quim Vidal and Adri Arnaus
