The European Tour makes its first stop of the season in China this week at the Shenzhen International, where Kiradech Aphibarnrat is defending.
After two of our picks from last week in Spain finished in the top five, it is time to see if we can continue that trend in China.
Pick of the favourites: Kiradech Aphibarnrat
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Defending champion Kiradech Aphibarnrat heads back to a course he fell in love with last year, full of confidence following an impressive debut at the Masters Tournament in his last appearance, when the Thai star finished in a tie for 15th place. Kiradech also registered two wins in three matches at the WGC-Dell Match Play, so he will be feeling good about replicating the 12 under par total that brought him his second European Tour title at Genzon Golf Club last year. Aphibarnrat was 27 under par for the four events he played in China last year, so it is a country the 26 year old clearly feels at home in as well.
Form Horse: Alex Levy
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Three top 25 finishes in his last four events, including a second place finish in Australia, shows charismatic Frenchman Alex Levy is nearing a return to the sort of form which saw him claim two European Tour titles in 2014. One of those victories came in sensational fashion at this week’s course, Genzon GC, where Alex cruised to a four shot victory after finishing the week at 19 under par in the 2014 Volvo China Open. After finishing with a 69 last week at the notoriously challenging Real Club Valderrama, Levy heads to China in an upbeat mood, something which was elevated further by the 25 year old’s pivotal role in helping his French side break the Guinness World Record for the Fastest Hole of Golf.
The Wildcard: Álvaro Quirós
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No player in the field will walk onto the first tee on Thursday having carded a better last round at Genzon GC than Álvaro Quirós, who finished tied 15th here last year largely thanks to a sparkling nine under par 63 in the final round 12 months ago. If Álvaro can keeps the bogeys to a minimum then the Spaniard might well be right in the thick of things come Sunday evening. Quiros has shown he can attack this 7,200-yard layout having made a staggering 11 birdies during his final round here in 2015. With his much-vaunted power from the tee, Álvaro will be able to take on some of the most challenging holes at Genzon GC - no fewer than three of the A Course’s holes featured in the top 18 hardest holes on The European Tour in 2015.
Those are our picks, now it’s time to make yours. Select your six players in our new Fantasy Race to Dubai game and be in with a chance of winning some impressive prizes.
