As the 30th edition of the Volvo China Open gets ready to tee off on April 17 in Shanghai, China No 1 Li Haotong and Wu Ashun are hoping to use their local knowledge of Enhance Anting Golf Club to their advantage in their respective bids to win the national championship for a second time.

With the Robert Trent Jones Jr-designed golf club hosting the championship for the first time, the challenging layout is a new experience for most of the field competing in the $2.55 million tournament, a co-sponsored event between the DP World Tour and China Tour.

Li, the 2016 Volvo China Open winner, thinks Chinese players have a "very real chance" to win on the course, a 7,168-yard, par-71 layout.

"I've been playing golf at this course regularly and know it well, but the greens have become significantly firmer and faster compared to before. It will really come down to the pin positions. The difficulty level is undoubtedly high, much tougher than during practice rounds. The key is to avoid the rough. I believe the second shot will be decisive. It all hinges on how well you execute that shot," said Li who won the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in February for his fourth DP World Tour title.

The 29-year-old Shanghai-based pro predicted that the winning score could "potentially reach 20-under par" this week under calm conditions. "I need to focus on executing every single shot and truly stay present in the moment," he said.

Wu, the 2015 Volvo China Open champion, said the combination of windy conditions and the course's undulating greens posed a real challenge for approach shots this week.

"I'm doing my utmost to familiarize myself with both the greens and wind, hoping to optimize my preparation and perform at my best," said the 39-year-old Xiamen native.

"As for the outcome, that's beyond my control. Winning a championship isn't entirely up to you. When you lift the trophy among so many elite players it feels like divine grace. There will always be multiple competitors in peak form delivering outstanding performances. But whether you win or not, if you've prepared thoroughly and given your absolute best ... I believe providence will ultimately decide who takes the title."

With more than 40 domestic players in the field this week, other notable Chinese include Ding Wenyi, a DP World Tour rookie who turned pro last year after an outstanding amateur career, and Jin Zihao, the 2024 China Tour Order of Merit winner.

Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen was among those expressing admiration for the Chinese players on the DP World Tour. The rising Danish star, who will play in his first Major at next month's PGA Championship, shot a final round 65 in Qatar to push Li to the limit. With Neergaard-Petersen holding the early clubhouse lead in Doha at 15-under, Li, the overnight leader, got up and down from a bunker on the last and then made a tricky 15-foot birdie putt to secure the win.

"I played a really good round, surely made him earn it. But to make that putt on the last and some of the clutch shots he hit down the stretch, he deserved it. Good player," said the third-year pro, 80th in the World Golf Ranking.

After winning three times on the HotelPlanner Tour last year to win the Road to Mallorca title and earn his promotion to the DP World Tour, Neergaard-Petersen took another big step earlier this month when he finished runner-up at the Puerto Rico Open in his PGA Tour debut. He last played in China two years ago when he finished equal 44th at the Hainan Open.

"The game feels real strong. Obviously had some really good finishes lately. Been home for the past two-and-a-half weeks, just kind of resting and getting some practice in, but I feel like I am into this week. I feel like my game is in a really good spot; so excited for Thursday (April 17) and just going to try to go out there and compete and be myself."

Adrian Otaegui goes into the tournament as the defending champion after winning last year's championship by a stroke in Shenzhen. To stage a successful title defence, the Spaniard, who holds duel-nationality with the UAE, will have to beat a top field featuring eight players who have won on the DP World Tour in the 2024-2025 season. Others in the field include past Volvo China Open champions Alexander Levy, a two-time winner, and fan favorite Nicolas Colsaerts.

Belgian great Colsaerts, the 2011 Volvo China Open winner, demonstrated at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in October that he still has game at 41 years old when he finished runner-up, one stroke behind Tyrrell Hatton in Scotland.

With Enhance Anting an unfamiliar layout to most of the field, he said the players would have to do more "homework" than usual to get prepared for the championship.

"The golf course is playing firm and fast, so you are looking at two things; the design of the golf course and you are looking at the condition it is in. So you will adapt your game to the questions that are asked," said Colsaerts who served as a vice-captain on the winning European Ryder Cup team in 2023.

"From the moment that you walk the first time on the golf course you try to look at the shots you're going to need. You look at the holes you feel you can have an advantage on where you bring your strength, the things you have to be careful of."