The stakes will be high at the inaugural Hangzhou Open as the battle to finish inside the top 45 for a place in Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by the R&A heats up. The race to finish inside the top 20 on the Road to Mallorca Rankings and secure their DP World Tour card then awaits.
We look at the contenders who are likely to make an impression at the second of our back-to-back events in China this week…
Form Horse – Ben Schmidt
Schmidt matched his best finish on the Challenge Tour since June when he finished tied-fourth at the Hainan Open last week. With that result, the Englishman jumped 29 spots up to 46th place on the Road to Mallorca Rankings. He will be looking to carry forward that momentum into a new week in Hangzhou.
Local Boy - Ding Wenyi
Winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Japan a fortnight ago, Ding is turning his focus to the paid ranks as he tees up for his first professional event at the Hangzhou Open this week. The 19-year-old ends his illustrious amateur career – which also included becoming the first Chinese Male U.S. Junior Amateur Champion in 2022 – on a high note after topping the Global Amateur Pathway Ranking that concluded this week.
The Outsider – JC Ritchie
Ritchie was holding a share of the lead for the first two rounds in Hainan before eventually having to settle for a tied-sixth finish. Currently ranked 45th on the Road to Mallorca Rankings, the 30-year-old South African admits he performs at his best when playing under pressure. He’s on bubble watch this week and will surely be looking for a good result to climb the Rankings once more and keep his promotion to the DP World Tour alive.
