Steve Palmer's China Open predictions & free golf betting tips: Magnificent McKibbin set to land second DP World Tour title

When to bet on the China Open

By 11.40pm on Wednesday

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Where can I watch the China Open?

Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 6am on Thursday

Steve Palmer's China Open predictions

Tom McKibbin
4pts each-way 16-1 general

Bernd Wiesberger
2.5pts each-way 22-1 bet365

Jesper Svensson
2pts each-way 40-1 bet365

Gavin Green
1.5pts each-way 60-1 bet365

Jeong Weon Ko
1pt each-way 80-1 general

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Steve Palmer's China Open preview

Sebastian Soderberg and Jordan Smith are difficult to trust at the business end of tournaments, Yannik Paul carded a miserable 76 when contending in Japan on Sunday, while well-backed Chinese hopeful Haotong Li is probably not playing quite well enough to give the galleries what they want in the China Open.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Tom McKibbin 16-1

Northern Ireland's Tom McKibbin will have enjoyed watching his hero Rory McIlroy win the Zurich Classic alongside Shane Lowry on Sunday and this week it may be the turn of this emerging youngster to star in the China Open.

McKibbin has a swing to die for at the age of 21, he is a superb driver who has become rock-solid from tee to green, and it seems only a matter of time before he lands a second DP World Tour title. The China Open appears a golden opportunity.

McKibbin's form figures this year, ignoring the Singapore Classic when he teed up with tonsillitis, are 25-14-16-4-12-9-7. This leaderboard regular closed with a 65 for seventh place in the ISPS Handa Championship in Japan on Sunday.

This rising star is better suited to Hidden Grace – a drivers' track with four par-fives – and McKibbin seems the most likely China Open champion.

Next best bet

Bernd Wiesberger 22-1

Not many in this week's field have positive course experience, but Bernd Wiesberger certainly does, having won the Shenzhen International on his debut at the track in 2017. Wiesberger finished 14th on his return to the course in the 2019 China Open, an event which came when he was languishing 384th in the world rankings and struggling badly with his game.

Wiesberger will be relishing his third visit to Hidden Grace. The Austrian has eased his way back into DP World Tour life after a spell on the LIV circuit, compiling DPWT form figures of 21-37-16-16-MC-24, and he appears ready to contend for silverware again.

The 38-year-old, who qualified for the European Ryder Cup team in 2021, is an eight-time DPWT champion and two of those triumphs came in Asia. He also won the 2013 Indonesian Masters, so enjoys this continent.

Other selections

Jesper Svensson 40-1
Gavin Green 60-1
Jeong Weon Ko 80-1

Jesper Svensson, like McKibbin, should fall in love with Hidden Grace. They are both blessed with great power and are a joy to watch with driver in hand. 

Svensson is older, having turned 28 last month, but the Swede is making rapid career strides. He won on the Challenge Tour last May, then made his DPWT breakthrough last month, with a gutsy playoff success in the Singapore Classic.

Gavin Green and Jeong Weon Ko are worth adding to the staking plan at attractive prices. Green won on the Asian Tour in 2017 and has endured a series of near-misses on the DPWT. The 30-year-old remains full of talent, though, and three top-15 finishes in his last six starts is encouraging. He was fifth in the Indian Open a month ago and finished 19th in his only previous Hidden Grace start (2019).

Ko, a tall, stylish player possessing effortless power, appears to have settled on the DPWT. He was ninth in the Kenya Open at the end of March, fifth in the Indian Open, then 11th last week in Japan. This promising youngster looks made for Hidden Grace.

Course guide for the China Open

• Course Hidden Grace Golf Club, Shenzhen, China
• Prize money $2.25m ($375,075 to the winner)
• Length 7,147 yards
• Par 72 – four par-fives, 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) Jordan Smith (93), Sebastian Soderberg (98), Jesper Svensson (109), Zander Lombard (112), Pablo Larrazabal (127)
• Course records - 72 holes 268 Mikko Korhonen (2019), Benjamin Hebert (2019) 18 holes 62 Alexander Levy (2014)
• Course winners taking part Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Bernd Wiesberger, Alexander Levy, Zhang Huilin, Zhang Jin, Sarit Suwannarut
• When to bet By 11.40pm on Wednesday
• When to watch Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 6am on Thursday
• Time difference China is seven hours ahead of the UK and Ireland
• Last week – ISPS Handa Championship 1 Y Katsuragawa (100-1), 2 S Soderberg (25-1), T3 C Bezuidenhout (12-1), I Cantero (300-1), R Kinoshita (300-1), M Schneider (150-1), T7 M Kawamura (125-1), T McKibbin (30-1), Y Sugiura (150-1), T Vaillant (350-1)
• Course type Parkland
• Course overview Hidden Grace, formerly known as Genzon GC, has hosted five DP World Tour events – the China Open in 2014 and 2019, and the Shenzhen International in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Hidden Grace also hosted the China Open in 2020 (as merely a China Tour event), 2021 (China Tour) and 2023 (Asian Tour). The course circles a large lake, which comes into play on many holes. The largely tree-lined track gets more open over the closing seven holes. Fairways are generous and the course is entirely comprised of paspalum grass
• Story of last year Sarit Suwannarut won the China Open by six shots at Hidden Grace in an Asian Tour sanctioned event
• Weather forecast Warm, with light breezes, throughout, but also spells of light rain and some threat of thunder over the weekend
• Type of player suited to the challenge Welcoming soft fairways, four par-fives and windless skies make this layout vulnerable to attacking big-hitters
• Key attribute Power

Steve Palmer's China Open key stat

Europeans have won three of the five DP World Tour events at Hidden Grace

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