2025 Hainan Classic betting tips: Our expert’s top picks at Mission Hills

2025 Hainan Classic betting tips from Today's Golfer.

Tom Jacobs picks out his top Hainan Classic betting tips ahead of the DP World Tour event.

The DP World Tour’s Asian Swing concludes this week at the inaugural Hainan Classic, where a bonus of $200,000 will be awarded to the player finishing top of the standings, along with entry to the lucrative Back 9 events of the season.

That coveted spot is currently occupied by Japan’s Keita Nakajima, who finished runner-up in the Porsche Singapore Classic and Hero Indian Open. Eugenio Chacarra and Ashun Wu sit second and third, and are in pole position to secure themselves a place in the upcoming PGA Championship at Quail Hollow by finishing in the top three.

Before revealing my Hainan Classic betting tips, here’s everything else you need to know…

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Hainan Classic key details

Venue: Blackstone Course, Mission Hills Resort Haikou, Hainan Island, China (Par 72 – 7,711 yards)

Format: 72-hole strokeplay with 36-hole cut

Purse: $2.55m, with the winners each receiving $433,500

Race to Dubai / Ryder Cup points: 3,500 / 1,000

Favorites: Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen 14/1, Hao Tong Li 14/1

Hainan Classic tee times

Tee times and groupings can be found here.

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Hainan Classic betting tips

The Banker: Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra 28/1 e/w (Bet365 3 Place Market)

Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra has put his rough spell on LIV behind him and continues to impress in his debut season on the DP World Tour. A winner at the Indian Open where he led after each of the final three rounds, Chacarra then went into last week, leading after rounds two and three, and sitting inside the top 4 all week, and 4^th is where he ultimately finished.

Chacarra stated that an issue with his thumb prevented him from competing at his very best, and if this is the case and he still finished 4^th, we should be very encouraged. Of course, we are running the risk of him carrying that injury into this week, but I think if it is bothering him too much in the build-up, which he seems confident it won’t, then he would simply withdraw.

Given he has played three events this year and has finished 20^th, 1^st and 4^th, we are potentially looking at one of the 10 players that will be heading to the PGA Tour next year, which is the trajectory he was on before opting to join the LIV Tour, which ultimately didn’t work for him.

Despite him leaving the LIV Tour with a sour taste in his mouth, he was one of the earliest winners there, having won in the inaugural season in Bangkok, and he has since added titles on the Asian Tour and now the DP World Tour in 2023 and 2025 respectively.

Chacarra was a first team All-American in College, and reached a high of #2 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, while also qualifying for the Korn Ferry Tour through the PGA Tour U initiative, something he surrendered to join LIV. Despite the LIV move looking to be a misstep for the Spaniard, he has very quickly gone about working his way back to the big stage, posting back-to-back top 6 finishes in Asian Tour events to close out 2024, and starting the year in similar fashion with a 5^th place finish in India.

Now that he’s strung together three extremely strong results on the DP World Tour, which includes a win when playing on a Sponsor’s invite, it looks like Chacarra is exactly where he needs to be.

This is a potential superstar in waiting, who is wasting no time moving on from LIV and looking to prove to everyone that he’s still the elite young talent they saw in college.

The Each Way Play: Brandon Stone 30/1 e/w (Sky Bet 6 Places)

I put up Brandon Stone at 40/1 last week, and despite him finishing 26^th last week and now shortening to 30/1, I am going to stick with him for one last week.

That is because the South African did everything I expected from a ball-striking perspective last week, ranking 2^nd in SG Approach, 2^nd in SG Off the Tee and 3^rd in SG Tee to Green overall, meaning only one thing let him down – his short game.

Stone ranked 74^th in SG Around the Green and a week-ruining 94^th in SG Putting, and if he can just steady the ship somewhat in this department this week, he’s one of the most likely winners here, hence the odds.

If anything, we should expect this golf course to suit Stone more than last week’s as he’s a good driver of the ball, and one that should be able to cope with the 7,711 yards listed on the yardage book this week.

Simply put, Stone played solidly again last week, despite a disastrous short game, and I am willing to take a gamble on that eventually turning around, even if only for one week. We know it’s possible, given he finished T2 at the Shenzhen International in 2016 and 7^th in the Volvo China Open last year, so he has putted well enough to compete in this part of the world in the past, and could do so again this week. The foundations are there for an excellent week, and we just need to pray his short game cooperates for the first time in a while.

The Outsider: Jacob Skov Olesen 60/1 e/w (Bet365 8 place market)

For my money, Jacob Skov Olesen is the wrong price this week. He was 80/1 last week, finished in T8 and has only shortened slightly in the market, leaving me with little choice but to go again.

The Dane has now finished 13^th or better in his last three events, the last two being back-to-back top 8 finishes, and I like his chances of this form continuing.

He isn’t the biggest hitter on Tour and that might hinder his chances slightly this week, but I think that is more than factored into the price when you consider the run of form he is on. I am sure he’s long enough to compete as well, and after ranking 20^th in SG Approach and 23^rd in SG Tee to Green last week, improving in both departments over the weekend, I think his ball striking is just fine.

While I don’t think I am ready to anoint him as a potential superstar in the way I am Chacarra, Olesen is clearly one the lesser experienced players on Tour who we can tell already has the potential to greatly improve, and the price is still right this week to chance him again.

The Longshot: Joel Moscatel 250/1 e/w (Sky Bet 6 Places)

Joel Moscatel arrived on the DP World Tour this year having won twice on the Challenge Tour this season, and the big-hitting Spaniard has plenty more to offer in the coming years.

Moscatel ranks 10^th in Driving Distance on the DP World Tour this season, averaging just under 320 yards off the tee, and nobody ranked above him has played more than 27 rounds – 10 rounds less than he has. So when it is all said and done, he will end the year as one of the longest hitters, and that could be huge this week, given the course features no rough.

He was in 10^th place after 54 holes last week, and was getting better every round, until disaster struck on Sunday, as he shot 77. There’s every chance this came as a result of trying to be too aggressive, attempting to make up the 5-shot deficit between him and overnight leaders, Eugenio Chacarra and Haotong Li, or he could have simply had a bad round. Either way I will take confidence from the improving play all week, and his suitability to a longer course with no rough.

Moscatel also went 2/2 for in made cuts in China on the Challenge Tour last year, and then made a third straight cut in this part of the world last week. He was just two shots back after 36 holes of the Hangzhou Open last year as well, suggesting he likes playing here, and could take advantage of the golf course and conditions, after a confidence-boosting week.

He’s been extremely volatile in his first few months as a full DP World Tour member, but the upside is certainly there, and I will take him at these odds in a relatively weak field here.

The Bonus Pick: Conor Purcell 250/1 e/w (Sky Bet 6 Places)

Conor Purcell loves China. The Irishman won the Hangzhou Open by 4 shots last year, and that was the second win of his career, and of the season. It was a good year for Purcell on the Challenge Tour in 2024, picking up those two wins, and racking up four more top 10s in the process.

Last year was certainly a break through for Purcell who had still been finding his feet as a pro, and now he can turn his attention to making it at the next level, boosted by a solid T15 finish last week, in the first leg of this China double. Like Moscatel, he was growing into this event nicely, and unlike the Spaniard, he played well on Sunday to continue his climb up the leaderboard. Weekend rounds of 67-69 will give him a lot of confidence heading into this week, as will his past exploits in China.

He ranked 6^th in SG Tee to Green and 12^th in SG Approach last week, so another solid ball striking week should see him make the weekend again in China, and we will see what he can do from there at a big price.

We know from his two Challenge Tour wins last year that his upside is a win, but again, like Moscatel he hasn’t shown that yet at this level. I am willing to take a swing on both though, given they have acclimatised to the region and played well last week, and staying in the same part of the world two weeks in a row can always bring out good things.

Having made just 3 cuts from 6 starts in 2025, expectations would have been low for Purcell until last week, but this finish should give him the push he needs to challenge his career-best finish on the DP World Tour (T7) in a region he loves.