Volvo China Open

FINAL RESULT: 0-4; -4.00pts

Randhawa 48th
Dyson 39th
Liang 15th
Wi dns
Ruangkit mc

Felt the most confident about this event of all events this week and it was a very poor effort. No selection was even close to a payout and it wasn't even a home Tour player who won.

Further outright play (1pt):

Boonchu Ruangkit to win 66/1 e.w. @ Coral
I said I would have added him had he been 66/1, so here he is! I can't believe that Coral would take into account the withdrawals of McGinley and Jaidee and still offer this much for Ruangkit. Here is a player who has been in his best form for years since the Tour re-convened after a three-month break in August. Not only is he 4th on the Asian PGA Tour Order of Merit with one win this year, but in the last three months he has finished 2nd, 9th, 30th, 2nd, 3rd and 4th. In the three events in China, he has finished 2nd, 2nd and 3rd and he finished in the top-5 three years ago on this course. An unprecedented five outright selections for an event and so long as Thomas Bjorn does not have a flyer, there really should be at least one of these in the payout places.

Outright plays (1pt):

Jyoti Randhawa to win 40/1 e.w. @ William Hill
This is the 10th staging of this event, but the first time that it has been co-sanctioned by the European Tour so there is a very big advantage this week for the Asian PGA Tour players. Add in the fact that this is the first event in Asia for the Europeans and that this is a weak representation apart from Thomas Bjorn and this really looks like a home winner with the possible exception of the Dane. There have also been two very notable withdrawals in the form of Paul McGinley and Thongchai Jaidee so these odds will not last. So with finishes of 4th, 2nd and 14th in his last three visits and some good performances on the Japan Tour, Randhawa looks to be one of the best 'home Tour' prospects and shouldn't be available at these odds.

Simon Dyson to win 80/1 e.w. @ Sportingbet and Sporting Odds
Very strange odds for a former winner of the Asian PGA Tour Money List who has concentrated on Europe in the last couple of seasons, but returned for the co-sanctioned Asian Open in China in May and finished 2nd. Together with the fact that he won this event on his only previous start on this course (2000), he really should be half these odds.

Wen-Chong Liang to win 100/1 e.w. @ Ladbrokes and William Hill
And so should Liang. The young Chinese player is the next 'big hope' in this country and has already taken over from Lian-Wei Zhang as the leading Chinese player in the Official World Rankings. He has had six top-10 finishes in his last ten starts, including 4th in the Bridgestone Open in Japan and 3rd in the Sanya Open in China in his last two starts and has plenty of experience on this course.

Charlie Wi to win 100/1 e.w. @ Ladbrokes
Couldn't reduce this list down to three and would have added Boonchi Ruangkit if he had been availablt at 66/1 rather than 50/1, so adding one more. Wi is another former winner of this title (2001) and is playing well heading into this event, finishing 5th (in China), 16th, 1st and 7th (in China) in his last four Asian PGA Tour events, plus he also finished 4th in the PGA Tour Q-School Stage Two event last week. With the time zones in his favour and the travel from California to China not too exhausting, he is clearly a player in form who should not be too tired this week.