How Swede it is for Bjork

Sweden's Alexander Bjork will be looking for a repeat when he leads the field at the 25th Volvo China Open at Shenzhen's Genzon Golf Club from May 2-5.

The 28-year-old, who won his first European Tour title when China's national open championship was staged in Beijing last year, heads an impressive list of entrants from the European and Asian tours who have confirmed their places in the tournament, which offers 20 million yuan ($2.9 million) in prize money.

"Volvo has been a huge supporter of golf in China since 1995 so it seems fitting that the first Swede to win the Volvo China Open will return as defending champion when we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the tournament," said tournament chairman Sven de Smet.

"Alexander was a very popular winner last year and we look forward to welcoming him to Shenzhen for a landmark event in the history of the tournament."

This marks the second time Genzon Golf Club has staged the Volvo China Open - the course hosted the 20th anniversary in 2014 - and comes just months after it became the first Chinese destination added to the European Tour Properties' world-class network.

For Bjork, who hails from Vaxjo in southern Sweden, it's a chance to return to the country that provided him with the first European Tour triumph of his career, capped by a final round he calls "the best 18 holes I've ever played".

"Over the final round and especially the last nine holes, I played some really good golf in Beijing and the feeling when I actually managed to pull it off and win the tournament was fantastic," recalled Bjork.

"I've played Genzon before and it's quite a tough course with a good layout. I remember it being a tropical-style course with hot and humid weather. I enjoyed it when I was there in 2017, so I'm really looking forward to defending the championship there."

The Volvo China Open is tri-sanctioned by the China Golf Association and the European and Asian tours, meaning a strong international field will compete alongside China's best in Shenzhen.

Bjork's 2018 success helped propel him into the top 75 in the global rankings and set him up to finish in 19th place on the season-long Race to Dubai.

"To be honest, it almost feels like the season hasn't started yet," he said this week. "I've only played five events and I've taken some time off. I'm not too happy about my results so far, but I'm positive that the work I've been putting in over the past month will pay off.

"I'm always trying to improve and want to win more tournaments and be able to compete for victories in the biggest events. My immediate goals are to win more events and break into the world top 50."