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The European Tour stays in China, but now moves to Mission Hills and the Brian Curley designed Blackstone Course which opened for play in 2011 and weighs in at an eye-watering 7.808 yards!
The course is set on top of an ancient lava field, and routed through dense jungle and open wetlands dotted with lychee trees. Curley has designed the course so it blends with the natural environment, with bunkers seamlessly transitioning into the lava rock-filled waste areas. There is no rough as such here so the fairways slowly fade into tickets of native trees.
The front nine of the Blackstone course meanders through dense forest, with highlights being the par-3, 5th hole, which plays over a lava field to a tiered green surrounded by waste area. The back nine climbs in elevation and offerers some wonderful panoramic views of Mission Hills. One of the highlights on the back nine is the back-to-back par 5s, the easier 12th and the brutal 681-yard 13th.
Blackstone hosted the 56th edition of the World Cup in 2011, which was won by the USA team of Matt Kuchar and Gary Woodland, giving the Americans their first victory in the event for 11 years.
The course has been named the “crown jewel” of the Mission Hills Resort on Hainan Island, the Blackstone course is marketed as the premier 18-hole layout at this ten-course golf complex where each and every track was designed by the Schmidt-Curley Design team.
For another trusted Blackstone Course review click here
My tips to Win:
I am going to stick with several players this week and first up is Haotong Li 14/1 – with UniBet – who had a rollercoaster of a final round on Sunday and got off to a bogey start and very really seemed to recover. He will want to win on of the two events in China and I expect him to be right in the thick of it again come Sunday
And that would also apply to Wenyi Ding 16/1 – with Bet365 – who I didn’t tip last week as I wanted to see if the occasion would get to him. Remember he had a runner-up finish in the China Open as an amateur, but it’s a totally different pressure as a professional. Wenyi comes into this week on the back of four Top 20 finishes in his last four starts
Three starts and three Top 20 finishes for Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra 18/1 – with Bet365 – with one being a win and a fourth-place finish at the China Open at the weekend and will know doubt arrive here in buoyant mood to challenge again this week
Each-way tips:
Another player that I am sticking with is Jacob Skov Olesen 45/1 – with Bet365 – who had a eight-place finish at the weekends China Open firing a third round 65 along the way. As I said last week it has been a frustrating year for Jacob playing well but having to wait on the reserve list for starts and I expect him to win this year just to get that monkey off of his back
It’s been a rollercoaster year for Marcel Schneider 55/1 – with Bet365 – who started the season with a Top 15 finish, went off the boil and then had three Top 15 finishes on the spin, one being a Top 10 and then missed the next two cuts. But he was back with a Top 10 finish at the weekend at the China Open shooting all four rounds under par
Outside tip:
Finishing the China Open strongly with rounds of 64 and 70 was Marcus Kinhult 85/1 – with StarSports – Marcus was tipped to go on and do great things in the game of golf, but as yet that is still to materialise, but he started the season with a runner-up finish, but has not really challenged since then. But I am sure he will take a lot of positives from his finish at the weekend
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