FORMER champion Li Haotong will be looking to end a disappointing year on a high when he tees up at the 27th Volvo China Open at Genzon Golf Club in Shenzhen today. A two-time winner on the DP World Tour — formerly the European Tour — 26-year-old Li is the highest-profile player in the 108-strong field for the event, for the second consecutive year because of the global pandemic, sanctioned solely by the China Tour. But if he is to bounce back to winning ways, China’s most popular player will have to do so without the vocal backing of his supporters as this year’s event will be played behind closed doors. “To be frank, everyone knows I didn’t play well this year, and of course there was the pandemic,” said Li who just three years ago enjoyed the biggest victory of his career at the Dubai Desert Classic. It was his second European Tour win and saw him become the first male Chinese golfer to break into the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking. As for his chances of winning a second Volvo China Open, he added: “I think Shenzhen is a blessed place for me as I almost won the first European tour event here in 2015. I like the course very much — it is first-class from hotel to people to management — so I’m grateful for the opportunity to come back here. The target is to play well and strive to improve my ranking in 2022.” Li is one of three former champions in the field. Current China Tour Money List leader Zhang Huilin will be looking to become the first player to successfully defend the trophy, while for 2003 winner Zhang Lianwei this week marks a remarkable 27th successive Volvo China Open to stretch his record as the only player to compete in every edition since the tournament began in 1995. (SD-Agencies) | 