Wu Ashun is hoping to become the first player in the history of the Volvo China Open to succesfully defend his title as the home favourite returns to the event which provided what he calls the best moment of his career.
The 30 year old last year become the first Chinese player to win a European Tour event on home soil when he overcame David Howell by one shot, the Englishman missing an eight foot putt at the last to force a play-off.
History is certainly against Wu this week – no player has successfully defended this title – and he will have to overcome players such as former champion and 2012 Ryder Cup star Nicolas Colsaerts of Belgium and Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger, playing his first event since the Masters.
The 22nd edition of the world’s most populous country’s national open visits a new venue this week in Topwin Golf and Country Club, which enjoys spectacular views of the Great Wall of China.
Wu Ashun
“I was very excited when I won this championship last year in Shanghai and I will remember that moment forever. It was the best moment of my career, to get my first win on The European Tour. I feel very confident this week.
“The greens are difficult here. I will grasp the putting on these greens though, it’s very important for me. I will also try my best to put the ball in the right places on the green.
“There will definitely be more and more Chinese players coming through now. This week we have 36 Chinese players in the field. They have started playing in many countries in the world and the level of competition is much higher.”
Thorbjørn Olesen
“It was my first round today and I think it’s great. The golf course looks pretty new and the greens are very tricky, very slopey and there are a few run-offs so you need to be really good with your irons to make a good score here.
“The fairways are pretty wide so it’s definitely a second shot golf course. The putts are obviously going to be tricky too, so you will need to have some patience and control over your pace.
“I feel like I’m hitting a good run of form now going into the summer. I’ve been working hard, I changed coach five or six months ago and I have been working on some different things.
“I had a couple of good weeks in the Middle East earlier in the year and then a few weeks in London where I worked a lot and I feel my game was really good in Spain and in Shenzhen. I feel pretty confident and I feel like I’m swinging the club a lot better so I’m excited to hopefully play well this week.”
Miguel Angel Jiménez
“It was a very nice experience yesterday on the wall. I’ve been on the wall before, 12 years ago, but not on this part and I really wanted to go again. You can see how small we are in this world when you see it.
“It’s a nice event here and looks very well organised. The golf course is a nice one, where you have a very nice mix of long holes and short holes. The greens are very difficult, you still have to be on the right places on the greens if you don’t want to be in trouble. It is in very condition too and I am ready to play this week.
“I feel good right now, I’ve been hitting the ball well again. I have a bit more confidence now and my putter has started working again, the stroke is coming back. I feel good and I hope I can give myself a chance to compete at the weekend.”
