Road to Ras Al Khaimah leader Joachim B. Hansen may be guaranteed a spot on the European Tour next season, but he is refusing to take his foot off the gas as he aims for a strong finish to the season.
The European Challenge Tour visits the idyllic Sanya City for the Hainan Open this week where Hansen leads a strong field in the two-week Chinese Swing.
The Dane, a two-time winner this season, is focussed on keeping hold of his number one spot on the Road to Ras Al Khaimah with two strong weeks ahead of the Grand Final.
“It was nice to cement my place in the top 15 early in the season and secure my card for next year," he said.
“I’ve just had two weeks off before these two weeks in China so I’ve prepared well and I should be in good shape for both the Hainan Open and the Foshan Open.
“Hopefully I’ll get a good result this week. It’s what I came for so hopefully I can take a good result into Foshan next week.”
Hansen has visited China on numerous occasions and admits he enjoys his visits, particularly to the outstanding Sanya Luhuitou Golf Club.
“We’ve played out here many times on the Challenge Tour and European Tour. It’s my second year in a row in Sanya and it’s such a nice place. The weather is pretty much the same as last year – it’s very warm and humid.
“You’ve got to be patient out here and keep doing what you’re doing. I’ve made a few swing changes. My swing is much better now than it was last year.
“I like the golf course. It’s a great golf course with a great design. The fairways are wide – maybe a bit too wide on some holes – but the greens are good and the fairways are good. It’s in really good shape.
“Scoring-wise, it depends on the weather. If we have good weather all week, the scoring will be low, definitely. I’ll just go out and do what I’ve done all year and see if it works this week as well.”
