It’s been almost five years since Andy Sullivan last played in a Major Championship, but he is hoping that wait will come to an end in 2026 after a bright start to the season on the DP World Tour.
The Englishman, 38, has played in all four of golf’s pre-eminent tournaments in his career, most recently contesting The Open Championship in 2021.
For a player who represented Europe at the Ryder Cup a decade ago, the length of absence from the Majors will perhaps be a surprise to many but the upcoming Asian Swing – featuring four counting events – could be a route to change all of that.
| Event | Date | column name empty |
|---|---|---|
| Hainan Classic presented by MAEXTRO | 19-23 March | |
| Hero Indian Open | 26-29 March | |
| Volvo China Open | 23-26 April | |
| Turkish Airlines Open | April 30 - May 3 |
Starting this week at the Hainan Classic presented by MAEXTRO and running through to the Turkish Airlines Open in late April, the leading three players on the final Swing rankings will play their way into the US PGA Championship.
Sullivan, ranked 110th in the Official World Golf Ranking, finished second to Patrick Reed against a world-class field at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January and believes he is close to being back challenging on the biggest stages again on a regular basis - helped in part through the depth of strength on Golf's Global Tour.
"I feel like I’m getting close to being back to my best before I’m too old to do all of this anymore to be honest," he said.
"I genuinely feel like my game is close to getting back there. Obviously, there are a lot of good young guys out here now ready to jump into your place very quickly – they’ve got no respect for the old guys out here anymore! It’s nice to be in that position, it’s good for me, it’s good competition, and it keeps me going to be fair.
"You want to play in as many Majors as you can. I’ve obviously played in them all, so when you miss them, you are gutted. It would be nice to get back out in the States and play another Major again. It’s always a privilege to go out there and play."
Sullivan arrives in China as the highest-ranked player on the Race to Dubai this season without a win and second-highest ranked on the Race to Dubai in the field this week, behind only countryman Dan Bradbury.
Intent on playing at each scoring event on the Swing, he knows the upcoming stretch represents a big opportunity to go in search of a fifth DP World Tour title and first since the UK Championship in 2020.
"I haven’t really kicked on since Dubai," he added. "I feel like my game is there to kick on now and one of these next four weeks, it would be nice to get another good result."
Sullivan is part of a field of local and international stars for the second edition of the Hainan Classic, which this year is held across the Blackstone and Vintage courses at Mission Hills Haikou.
The first two rounds operate as a pro-am competition, pairing 120 professional golfers with 120 amateur golfers in teams of two, before the top 65 and ties progress in the 72-hole stroke play tournament.
This is his 11th appearance in China across his career and with just one missed cut and a top 25 here last season, he is feeling good about his chances.
"I like coming here to play golf," he said. "The courses are generally very, very good. Once you’re over the jetlag, it is great. I don’t mind it at all. I’m partial to a bit of Asian food, so it’s great.
"My game is in a good place at the moment, so I feel like I can compete around anywhere.
"I played the other course (Vintage) today. I hit a fade so it’s good for me. I’m feeling good for the week. It’s one of those things with golf, no matter what course it is, if you play well, you generally get up there. I’m just looking forward to the week."
Last year, Marco Penge won the first of three titles at this event on his way to finishing in second position on the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World to become the leading player of the ten who secured dual membership with the PGA TOUR for the 2026 season.
Seeing his good friend make such a breakthrough, and being recognised with the 2025 Seve Ballesteros Award as Player of the Year, has only served as a further stimulus for Sullivan as he looks to play his way stateside too by the end of the ongoing season.
"I’ve not seen a lot of him, because he’s obviously been in America, so it would be nice to go out there and get my pal back," he said.
"As much as he’s my friend, I want to be out there competing with him. I feel like he’s probably one of the best. I want to play against him all the time and if I can edge him out of a couple, it would be nice. It would be nice to get out there and see all the boys."
