Steve Palmer's free predictions and golf betting tips for the Hainan Classic

When to bet on the Hainan Classic

By 11.30pm on Wednesday night

Steve Palmer's Hainan Classic predictions

Wenyi Ding
3.5pts each-way 16-1 bet365

Brandon Stone
2.5pts each-way 28-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

Daniel Hillier
1.5pts each-way 40-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

Marco Penge
1.5pts each-way 40-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

Elvis Smylie
1pt each-way 110-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

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Steve Palmer's Hainan Classic preview

Haotong Li suffered some bad breaks in the China Open last week, including when his approach to the first hole on Sunday bounced out of the hole and into trouble, and the Chinese hero will be a popular selection for the Hainan Classic.

Li won the 2016 World Celebrity Pro-Am at this week's venue and should be respected, while Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen also deserves to be near the head of the betting. The in-form Dane should go close to a maiden DP World Tour title this week, but accuracy is his main strength. This long, open track may not be ideal, so he can be resisted at the odds.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Wenyi Ding 16-1

A fantastic amateur career has been followed by a rock-solid start to life as a DP World Tour professional for Wenyi Ding and the 20-year-old Chinese starlet should go close to a breakthrough victory in his homeland this week.

Ding finished fifth at a juicy price in the Australian Open in December and form figures of 20-14-14-8 from his last four starts show how comfortable he has become in the pro ranks. It seemed he might set a competitive clubhouse total in the China Open last Sunday before he faltered over the closing holes.

Ding can learn from last week and stay in the mix throughout at the Blackstone Course. His record in China is excellent – he even contended for his national Open when a 16-year-old amateur – and the Beijing boy can be the darling of the Chinese galleries on Hainan Island this week. He appears to be getting stronger and longer every week.

Next best bet

Brandon Stone 28-1

South African raider Brandon Stone relishes his trips to China. He was second in the 2016 Shenzhen International and seventh in last year's China Open. A closing 69 meant 36th place in Shanghai last week and he has made the short trip to a more suitable layout.

Stone ended last year making lots of top-20s and has already notched three this year. He was sixth in the Indian Open at the end of last month. This is a three-time DPWT champion getting back to his best, teeing up at a venue where his strong driving is a significant asset.

Other selections

Daniel Hillier 40-1
Marco Penge 40-1
Elvis Smylie 110-1

Kiwi powerhouse Daniel Hillier can cut this long course down to size. His magnificent driving nearly won him the Dubai Desert Classic in January, when he was pipped by Tyrrell Hatton, and Hillier has been regularly banking healthy cheques on the tour.

Victory in the 2023 British Masters should be followed by a second DPWT title soon enough. Hillier was a great amateur and won twice on the Challenge Tour while his record in China is solid.

Marco Penge is another huge driver who will be licking his lips at the dimensions of the Blackstone Course. The Englishman won twice on the Challenge Tour in 2023. His DPWT career was halted for a couple of months by a ban for betting on golf, but he has returned looking as sharp as a tack.

Penge's ban ended in the middle of February and he has already posted three top-20 finishes this year, including third place in the South African Open. He was 23rd in the 2023 Hainan Open on the Challenge Tour and 17th in last year's China Open and he closed with a 69 for 26th place in the same event on Sunday.

Complete a team of lusty drivers with Elvis Smylie, who won the Australian PGA Championship in November. The stylish left-hander appears to have massive potential. He carded a round of 59 in practice at Southport GC before jetting to the China Open, where he posted four solid rounds for 15th place. This great talent is a surprisingly big price for the Hainan Classic.

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Course guide for the Hainan Classic

• Course Blackstone Course, Mission Hills Resort Haikou, Hainan Island, China
• Prize money $2.55m ($425,000 to the winner)
• Length 7,711 yards
• Par 72 – four par-five holes; ten par-fours; four par-threes
• Field 156 The cut Top 65 and ties qualify for round three
• Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (78), Keita Nakajima (104), Romain Langasque (115), Jorge Campillo (132), Haotong Li (133)
• When to bet By 11.30pm on Wednesday night
• Time difference China is seven hours ahead of the UK and Ireland
• Last week – China Open 1 A Wu (150-1), 2 J Smith (22-1), 3 Y Paul (80-1), T4 H Li (18-1), E Chacarra (25-1), Z Dou (60-1), 7 T Pulkkanen (80-1), T8 J S Olesen (70-1), W Ding (20-1)
• Course type Parkland
• Course overview A layout crafted by Schmit-Curley Design, led by Brian Curley, it hosted the 2011 World Cup of Golf – won by the American team of Matt Kuchar and Gary Woodland. The biennial World Celebrity Pro-Am, which was won by Haotong Li in 2016, also takes place at this venue. The Hainan Classic is a new DP World Tour event, starting this week. This natural layout has 147 bunkers. There is no rough, with jungle and black lava rock waiting to punish the seriously errant. There are also some small lakes to avoid on the back nine. Two of the five par-fives are enormous – the 623-yard second and the 681-yard 13th
• Weather forecast Hot, humid and thundery, but precious little wind, for all four days
• Type of player suited to the challenge Generous fairways will have the powerhouses licking their lips, particularly with some thundery showers set to keep the terrain soft
• Key attribute Power

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