Stars align for 30th anniversary of Volvo China Open

Undoubtedly, one of the biggest galleries at the Open will be for Keita Nakajima. The rising Japanese star turned pro in 2022 after spending 87 weeks at the top of the World Golf Amateur Ranking, eclipsing Jon Rahm's previous record of 60 weeks.

After four wins on the Japan Tour, one as an amateur, the 24-year-old captured his first DP World Tour title last year when he went wire-to-wire to win the Hero Indian Open. He is currently seventh in the Race To Dubai Rankings after runner-up finishes in Singapore and India.

Nakajima said he was looking forward to returning to China as he had not been to the country since 2019 when he played in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Shanghai, a tournament he would eventually win in 2021.

"I have great memories of the tournament. I remember the fans being very passionate about the sport and I enjoyed every minute of it," said the Saitama native, the world No 100. "National opens are very important. They are the most prestigious event in each country we play. I would love to win many national open's, including the Volvo China Open.

"My plans for the rest of 2025 are to compete on the DP World Tour. I hope to compete in major championships and to finish in the top 10 of the DP World Tour rankings to move to the PGA Tour."

Amateurs Li Zhengda and Li Zhengqian are also in Open, marking the first time Chinese brothers will play in a Volvo China Open field. In November, 14-year-old Li Zhengda won the boy's group competition at the 19th Volvo China Junior Match-Play Championship in Hainan, a tournament where he beat his older brother, Li Zhengqian, 3-2 in the quarter-final.