After the Asian Games, Hangzhou is determined to build a "tournament city" and actively hosts many top events. The Hangzhou Golf Open is another heavyweight international top event named directly after the city of Hangzhou. In 2024, the event was upgraded and jointly certified by the European Tour Challenge and Moutai 1935 China Tour. The total prize money was increased to US$500,000 and became one of the most important events of the European Tour Challenge besides the year-end finals. After this week's competition, the top 45 players in the "Road to Mallorca" points ranking will enter the Rolex Challenge Tour Finals to compete for 20 DP World Tour cards.

Pre-match sightseeing and sightseeing

In order to allow domestic and foreign stars to deeply experience the profound heritage of this cultural city with a thousand-year history while competing in Hangzhou, the organizing committee specially invited them to tour Hangzhou before the game, and the destination of the tour was Xixi Wetland, which is known as the "Three Wests" of Hangzhou together with West Lake and Xiling. Guangdong star Tao Deng is the champion of the first qualifying round of the 2024 China Tour. He tied for fourth place in the Hainan Baoting Open this year. He said: "This is my first time in Hangzhou. Xixi Wetland gives people an ancient and cultural atmosphere, and there are many delicious things. I think I will come to Hangzhou if I have the opportunity in the future to play games, enjoy the scenery, and taste delicious food." Yi-Chen Huang is from Chinese Taipei. He performed well in the 2024 season and won the third place in the Hainan Baoting Open. This is also his first time to play in Hangzhou. He said: "This trip allowed me to see many different things. The Xixi Wetland has a wide surface, which is very suitable for boat tours. Hangzhou is full of the flavor of the ancient city of Jiangnan, and the sweet-scented osmanthus is also very fragrant. This is my fifth China Tour this year and my second consecutive week playing the European Tour Challenge. The lineup is very strong and the competition is fierce. If you miss one shot, it may lead to a big difference in the ranking. This week I will play every shot well. My first child will be born next week. I hope to have a good performance to welcome his arrival." Joshua Glenville-Wood is from the United Arab Emirates. He is currently ranked 62nd in the "Road to Mallorca". He won the runner-up in the Delhi Challenge and the fifth in the Swiss Challenge this season. Joshua Glenville-Wood said: "Before coming to China, my wish list did not include taking a boat tour of Xixi Wetland. I like the hat prepared for me by the Water Margin Museum very much. It's a pity that I can't wear it to play during the tournament week. I will keep that golf cartoon forever." South African star Dion Gamis ranks 13th in the "Road to Mallorca" and has made the top three in the European Tour Challenge three times this year, including the runner-up in the SDC Open. He said: "Today's cruise was very cool. When I was on the boat, I saw beautiful islands and lakes. There were also good cafes and B&Bs on both sides of the lake. It was very comfortable to walk along the river bank. This is a rare opportunity to experience Hangzhou culture."

Highlights of the first round of matches – Clip 1

On October 17, the first round of the 2024 Hangzhou Open was held at the Hangzhou West Lake Golf Club. After a fierce competition in 18 holes, Irish player Conor Purcell won the lead with a single round of 63 strokes, 8 strokes under par. In addition, it is worth mentioning that the 20-year-old Chinese player Tong Yang hit the first hole-in-one in the history of the Hangzhou Open with a 6-iron on the 198-yard No. 3 hole today. This is also the third hole-in-one in the European Tour Challenge this season, which attracted cheers from the scene! In the first round, Conor Purcell scored a total of 8 birdies and handed in a clean scorecard with no breaks in 18 holes. With a single round score of -8 strokes, he led Swedish player Mikael Lindberg and Italian player Gregorio De Leo by 1 stroke. British player Ben Schmidt, who handed in 65 strokes, is temporarily tied for 4th place with South African player Justin Walters, Swedish player Niklas Lemke, and Spanish player Angel Ayora. Wenyu Ding, a Chinese rookie who just turned professional this week, tied for 8th place with two other local players, Jin Zihao and Wang Zi, and three other foreign players with a 66 in the first round. "I'm very happy that I can hand in a score of -8 today," said the 27-year-old Conor Purcell after the game. He started from the 1st hole at noon today and handed in 5 birdies in the first nine, including three consecutive birdies before the transition. After the transition, he continued to win three birdies on the 12th hole and the 17th and 18th holes before the end. "I didn't play my best in the game in Hainan last week, but my tee shot was very good today. If you miss the fairway with your tee shot, it will be difficult to get on the green here. And my putter was also good today, so I am very satisfied with my performance today." This week's Hangzhou Open is also the penultimate game of the European Tour Challenge this season. If Conor Purcell, who is currently ranked 12th in the "Road to Mallorca", can win the Hangzhou Open, he will basically lock in his qualification for the European Tour next year. "I will keep working hard. I need more birdies to achieve this goal. I heard it might rain tomorrow. I will try my best to hit more fairways."

Highlights of the first round of matches – Clip 2

Wenyu Ding, who made his professional debut at the Hangzhou Open, started from the 1st hole in the same group as Hamish Brown, the double champion of the European Tour Challenge 2024 season, and Brandon Robinson Thompson, the champion of this year's Scottish Challenge, from Denmark. "Because I have played many professional tournaments before and performed well, I didn't feel very nervous." After the game, the 19-year-old Wenyu Ding recalled his "first professional shot". However, Wenyu Ding also admitted that after winning the last championship trophy in the amateur era at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, his state was a little relaxed, so the first few tee shots today were not so good. "The three-yard birdie on the 2nd hole is very important to me, because the last 9 holes of this course are more difficult. Only by catching more birdies in the first 9 holes can you play more confidently in the later stages. In addition to the 2nd hole, Wenyu Ding seized the opportunity on the 5th hole and made three birdies in a row on holes 9 to 11 before and after the transition. After coming to the last 9 holes, Wenyu Ding encountered tee-off difficulties again on the 14th hole and suffered the only break of the round. Fortunately, he seized the opportunity on the par-5 17th hole again to make a birdie, and finally ended his first round of his career with 6 birdies and 1 break of 66. "Although the condition was not perfect, I feel that I played very well today. It is not easy to play -6 or -7 on this course, especially since the grass this week is a little longer than before. "Jin Zihao, who is currently at the top of the Maotai 1935 China Tour Prize List this week, also shot 66 today. Starting from the back 9, he had a bad start today, swallowing two broken shots in the first three holes, but fortunately he adjusted his state immediately and created many birdie opportunities for himself in the next 15 holes, and successfully caught 7 birdies. "I had better luck today, and I made several medium and long-distance putts. Especially the birdie on the last hole, I saw the line exactly right, and it was what I wanted when I put it out. " Mikael Lindberg, who started from the back 9 holes early in the morning, got off to a good start with a birdie on the 10th hole, followed by birdies on the 12th and 17th holes. He only encountered a break on the par-3 16th hole. After turning the course with a score of -2, he birdied the 2nd hole and his score came to -3. After the game entered the last five holes, Mikael Lindberg, who was getting hotter and hotter, made four consecutive birdies on holes 5 to 8, and finally tied for second place with Gregorio De Leo with a single round score of 64 (-7). "My condition was relatively low in the previous month, so I am very happy to play a single round of -7 today. This course has high requirements for tee shots, because the grass is very long. If you want to make more birdies, you must try to hit the fairway. After hitting the fairway, it will be relatively easier to attack the flagpole, and my putting performance was also good today. "Mikael Lindberg has finished in the top five of the Challenge Tour four times this season, including winning the Cape Town Open. He ranks 10th on the "Road to Mallorca" ranking list this week and is very likely to eventually qualify for the European Tour. "Because my condition was not very good before, my goal this week is first to defeat myself. I hope I can continue to maintain the condition I am in today in the next few days." British rookie Ben Schmidt, who tied for 4th place in Hainan last week, also had full firepower in the first round. He started in the first group on the 10th hole at 6:30 and shot 65 strokes with 8 birdies and 2 bogeys today, temporarily tied for 4th place in the first round. "My overall condition today was quite good, and the tee shot hit the fairway rate was very high, so most of the birdies were opportunities very close to the hole. I hope to continue this good condition and finally get a good result. "In this week's "Road to Mallorca" rankings, the 22-year-old Ben Schmidt ranked 46th, and is only one step away from the top 45 qualification requirement for the next European Tour Challenge Final, so the result of the Hangzhou Open is crucial to him. "I try not to think about these things on the court. I hope I can focus on every shot. This is my first time to play in China, and I am glad that I have performed well in two consecutive games."

Second round highlights

On October 18, the 2024 Hangzhou Open with a total prize of $500,000 ended its second day at the Hangzhou West Lake Golf Club. Professional rookie Wenyu Ding, with a 65 in the second round, scored 131 in two rounds, 11 strokes below par, and shared the halfway lead with British player Ben Schmidt. In the second round, Wenyu Ding started from the 10th hole. After a stable par in the first two holes, he decisively won three consecutive birdies from the 12th to the 14th holes of the course, and raised his total score to -8 before the transition. "Today's results are better than I expected. The No. 1 wood and irons are good. There are not as many mistakes as in the first round. Some mistakes have been recovered. And today's putter is also very good, but some birdie opportunities later were not seized." Wenyu Ding, who started well, played more steadily after the transition. In the second half, he caught 3 more birdies and directly raised his total score to -11 strokes and rose to the top of the leaderboard. In the second round, the Hangzhou Open also attracted many fans to watch the game on site. Wenyu Ding also enjoyed the feeling of returning to China to compete after a long absence. "It feels very comfortable to compete in China. The food and accommodation are much better than those abroad, so overall I am very happy." Leading the two rounds of the European Tour Challenge weekend as a professional player is still a new experience for Wenyu Ding, who is only 19 years old. "I tell myself in every game that I should just play it as a game and not put too much external pressure on myself. I hope I can maintain a good state and play well in the two days of the weekend." After Wenyu Ding took the lead in the clubhouse, more players had stronger goals to pursue. The one who finally stood out was Ben Schmidt, a British player who tied for fourth place with a score of -6 yesterday. In the second round, Ben Schmidt started from the first group on the 1st hole in the afternoon. After handing in 4 birdies and 2 breaks in the first 15 holes, he also improved his total score to -8. In the last three holes, Ben Schmidt seized every opportunity to speed up the pursuit. On the 16th hole, a par-3 hole with a total length of 227 yards and the highest difficulty in the whole field, he caught another birdie with a precise 25-foot long putt. On the 567-yard 17th hole, a par-5, Ben Schmidt relied on a stable tee shot and precise approach to the green, leaving himself an 8-foot eagle putt opportunity. "I played well in the last three holes, and I actually had a chance on the 18th hole. Although I didn't succeed in the end, I'm really happy." Ben Schmidt, who finally handed in 66 strokes in the second round and tied for the lead with a total score of -11, said. "I know that everyone's scores are very close now, but I still hope that I can shift my attention away from this and focus more on my own shots." Ben Schmidt also said that he is looking forward to being in the same group with Wenyu Ding on the moving day. "I know that means there will be a lot of spectators, which will put me under some pressure, but I am very happy to be in the same group with him. I have heard a lot of stories about him and I look forward to seeing him tomorrow." Conor Purcell, an Irish player who had a 63 in the first round, was in poor form in the second round and finally shot 69. With a total score of -10, he tied for third place with Norwegian player Kristoffer Reitan, who had 66 in both rounds. Last year's Moutai 1935 China Tour International Qualifying Tournament champion, Czech player Gordan Brixi, also shot the lowest score of 64 (-7) today, just like Spanish player Joel Moscatel Nachshon. The two and another Spanish player Angel Ayora tied for fifth place. As for mainland Chinese players, Jin Zihao shot 6 birdies and 3 bogeys today and continued to maintain his ranking of 8th place. "I didn't feel very good at the beginning of the day, but I held on and seized the next few birdie opportunities. I made a comeback in the back nine." He, who ranked tied for 11th in Hainan last week, said that his strategy for the last two rounds was to try to hit the fairways first and avoid the rough. He hopes to play better than last week on the weekend.

Summarize

At the 2024 Hangzhou Open, we witnessed the extraordinary performance of the players on the green field. Their unlimited enthusiasm and unremitting pursuit of golf are amazing. This event is not only an excellent stage for players to show their skills, but also an important boost to the widespread popularization of golf culture in Asia. For the contestants, no matter what the results are, this is undoubtedly a very valuable experience and learning opportunity. We sincerely hope that you will continue to work hard in future competitions and continue to improve your skills and level. At the same time, we also hope that more people can actively participate in the sport of golf and experience the fun and challenges it brings. In golf, the choice of equipment is crucial. A high-quality golf net is the key to improving training efficiency and competition results. It not only provides more realistic shot feedback, but also helps players practice efficiently in various environments. In addition, from the selection of clubs to the wearing of clothing, every piece of equipment is designed to allow players to give full play to their best on the course. Let us once again express our warm congratulations to all the players participating in the Hangzhou Open and thank you for your love and contribution to golf. We eagerly look forward to seeing you again in future competitions, and we also hope that more people will join this sport and enjoy the charm of golf together.