Dubai native Otaegui 62 leads, Cockerill T49 Volvo China Open...54 hole results

 

 DP World Tour : Volvo China Open Tee Times Leaderboard

After 54 holes on this Anting GC just north of Shanghai nobody is playing it better than the native of the UAE, 33 year old Adrian Otaegui, a rank and file veteran of the DP World Tour with 5 wins, ranked #303 in the world, but #33 in the Race to Dubai.

Consider this, in rounds of 66 69 62 -16 he has 20 birdies, 1 eagle, only 4 bogey's and a double, all the rest 28 pars for the clubhouse lead late in round 3.

Bernd Weisberger 2nd, 64 66 68 -15 and Shaun Norris 3rd, 63 67 71 -12 are shaping up to make this a three horse race with Sunday to decide the winner.

At the other end of the field, Aaron Cockerill, buoyed by a opening 66 just hung on to make the trip from his family home in Dubai worthwhile with a Friday 74 to make the cut on the number at -2

This morning he was steady Eddie with 14 pars, 2 birdies, 2 bogey's for E 71 T47.

Aaron is currently #475 in the world, #136 in the Race to Dubai and with the trip to Turkey next week, then one more in Barcelona, the Estrella Damm Catalunya Championship before the break for the PGA Championship at Aronimink GC in Philadelphia, he will be looking to get back inside the top 100.

more to follow...

Bryan Angus

The Fitzpatricks surge into contention, Canadians T11, at Zurich Classic... 36 hole results, Saturday TEE TIMES

    PGA Tour Zurich Classic of New Orleans Tee Times Leaderboard

When the early wave finished their 2nd rounds, the pre tournament favourites Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick, lived up to their billing following an opening Fourball session -8 64 with the more difficult Foursome's -7 65 for -15 to surge into contention 2nd place.

The leaders are Americans Alex Smalley/ Hayden Springer 58 70 -16, both looking for their maiden wins.

Joining the Fitzpatrick's T2 -15 are Davis Thompson/ Austin Eckroat 59 70, and Tom Hoge/ Billy Horschel 61,68

The cut fell at -10

 Canadian scores..

Adam Svensson/ Adam Hadwin T11  63 68 -13

AJ Ewart/ Casey Jarvis T16  64 69  -11

Sudarshan Yellamaraju / Ryan Gerard T26  65 69 -10

Taylor Pendrith/Mac Hughes T13  62 74  MC

Ben Silverman/ Cameron Champ T30  64 78  MC

****  Saturday the field will return to lower scoring Fourball matches, and wrap up the week with Foursomes on Sunday.

Bryan Angus

Pendrith/ Hughes lead Canadian scores at Zurich Classic...Friday TEE TIMES, Live scoring.

   PGA Tour Zurich Classic of New Orleans Tee Times Leaderboard

After 18 holes of fourballs the leaders at this years Zurich Classic in New Orleans are relatively unknown Americans Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer who matched the tournament record 58 -14. Both would welcome their first PGA Tour win....

The Fitzy's Matt and younger brother Alex shot 64 -7 T30 six shots off the lead.

Shane Lowry carried Brooks Keopka most of the day to T50 -6 66 and are flirting with the cut as the field plays Foursomes today before switching back to Fourballs on Saturday.

Canadians

Taylor Pendrith/Mac Hughes T13 62 -10

Adam Svensson/ Adam Hadwin T16 63 -9

Ben Silverman/ Cameron Champ T30 64 -8

AJ Ewart/ Casey Jarvis T30 64 -8

Sudarshan Yellamaraju / Ryan Gerard T42 65 -7

Click on my links above for Friday TEE TIMES and live scoring..

Bryan Angus

Norris/Weisberger share lead, Cockerill flirts with cut in China... 36 hole results, Saturday TEE TIMES

   DP World Tour : Volvo China Open Tee Times Leaderboard

After a 2 birdie, 2 bogey front nine E 35 Aaron Cockerill who began the day -5 after an opening 66 slipped up with 3 bogeys, all the rest pars coming in for +3 74, which is the bad news, however the cut fell -2 and he is right on that number after 36 holes.

WEATHER  relatively calm. cool at 17*c with little wind and is forecast to stay that way all weekend.

The co leaders are veteran South African Shaun Norris 63 67 -12 and Austrian Bernd Weisberger 64 66 -12, and the field iis bunched right behind them..

Weisberger was an early defector to LIV in 2022-23 but struggled there for 2 seasons, with only one top 10 and returned to DP World Tour in 2024 after paying $1. million in fines.

FINAL EDIT>>>>645am EST

Shaun Norris and Bernd Wiesberger will share the lead heading into the weekend at the Volvo China Open but will have a pair of home heroes chasing them down at Enhance Anting Golf Club.

While very low scoring was the order of the day in round one after recent rain, day two proved a much tougher test as sunshine and breeze firmed up the layout in Shanghai.

South African Norris was bogey-free and on track to take the solo lead into the last 36 holes but a first bogey of the week on the last dropped him back to -12 as he signed for a 67.

That left him alongside Austrian Wiesberger, who rode the momentum of a birdie-birdie-birdie start to a 66 as he goes in search of a second win in China.

Teenage star Yanhan Zhou thrilled the home crowds on day one with a 61 and he followed that with a 69 to sit one back at -11 alongside fellow Chinese Bowen Chai, who carded a 66.

First-round leader Alejandro del Rey was then at -10 after a second round 71, one shot clear of Australian Kuangyu Chen, Frenchman Tom Vaillant and Dutchman Darius van Driel.

“It’s been pretty solid all day long bar a little blunder on the last hole,” Norris said. I can’t be more pleased with the way I’m playing the game at the moment and managing my game at the moment.

I’m sort of hitting the ball in the right spots, missing it in the right spots and giving myself a lot of good chances so I’m happy with where I’m at at the moment, especially after a long break".

Wiesberger – a winner in China at the 2017 Shenzhen International – spoke after round one of his mission to rediscover the form that brought him eight DP World Tour titles between 2012 and 2021, including two Rolex Series triumphs.

“I didn’t play as well as I did yesterday with my long game so it was nice to actually get a round in that low because I didn’t feel quite as good as I did yesterday,” he said.

“But sometimes you get over those days and get a good score out of it and I did today.”

Spaniard Del Rey made two birdies and two bogeys in his level par effort, while Vaillant and Van Driel both carded rounds of 65 and Chen signed for a 67.

Australian Anthony Quayle matched the low round of the day with a 64 to sit at -8 alongside Chinese Zihao Jin, Japan’s Kota Kaneko and Portuguese Daniel Rodrigues.

Bryan Angus

Aaron Cockerill opens T6, del Rey leads at soggy Volvo China Open.. Live scoreboard 18 hole results..

   DP World Tour : Volvo China Open Tee Times Leaderboard

Players and officials were quite concerned for the par 71, Anting GC, arriving in Shanghai, China, some 12 hours ahead of EST (It is 6am Thursday April 23rd, here in Toronto, 6pm in Shanghai) in a torrential rain which continued on and off through early Wednesday.

However it drained well, they managed to play the pro-am, and overcast relatively calm conditions met the field this morning on a very soft course, which hs been yielding low scoring.

*** The clubhouse leader is veteran Spaniard Alejandro del Rey with -10 61, followed by Chinese Yanhan Zhou 2nd -9 62 , then South African Shaun Norris 3rd -8 63.

Canada's Aaron Cockerill has a lot of crooked numbers playing the course backwards, out 4 birdies, 2 bogey's -2 34, back in 4 birdies, 1 bogey -3 32 for -5 66 T6.  

Bryan Angus

EDIT >>>>> 7.20am EST

Alejandro del Rey carded a stunning 61 to edge ahead of teenage sensation Yanhan Zhou and open up a one-shot lead after day one of the Volvo China Open.

Zhou, who only turned 18 earlier this month, thrilled the home crowds as he got to -9 through 12 holes and, showing a composure beyond his years, looked certain to take the first-round lead at Enhance Anting Golf Club.

But as he parred his final six holes to card a bogey-free 62, Del Rey matched his front-nine 29 after starting on the tenth to storm to -10 with 61 to lead the way.

With no shortage of rain in the build-up and preferred lies in place, it was a low scoring day in Shanghai, with South African Shaun Norris 3rd at -8 63, one clear of Austrian Bernd Wiesberger 4th -7 64.

Home favourite Bowen Chai was then 5th at -6 and will return to complete his final hole on Friday as one of six players who were still on course when darkness brought play to an end.

Australian Kuangyu Chen holed out for a spectacular eagle on the par-four seventh and he was at T6 -5 alongside 2024 champion Adrian Otaegui, Canadian Aaron Cockerill and England's Andrew Johnston.

“It was great,” del Rey said. “I definitely didn’t see it coming at the beginning of the round, it’s a tough course and you have to play and I guess we got a little bit lucky with the rain yesterday, it helped.

“It was a very nice round, everything felt like it was flowing pretty nicely and I had one of those low ones come out.”

Zhou the home favourite put on a masterclass in his first 12 holes.

He already has 11 wins on the China Tour, with seven of those coming last season as he romped to the Order of Merit title as a 17-year-old, and is clearly comfortable on home soil after also finishing third at last month’s Hainan Classic.

“I’m feeling great,” he said. “Seven birdies and an eagle, I just feel ‘oh my God! There are so many people have come here to watch me and support me so I’m very happy to get a good start.  My dad is my caddy and he supports me a lot and I love to play games with my family and friends, it’s incredible.”

europeantour.com

Bryan Angus (edit)

Seven Canadians (and partners) will play Zurich Classic of New Orleans...full Field

 PGA Tour Zurich Classic of New Orleans Field

There are seven Canadians playing this week in this 2 man team event in New Orleans where they play fourball on Thursday, Saturday and foursomes Friday and Sunday.

Canadians (and their partners and how they qualified)

AJ Ewart  Fed Ex standing 76,  owgr 214, top 5 from PGA Tour Q School (Casey Jarvis)

Adam Hadwin  164, 244  126-150 in FedEx Cup Fall points list (Adam Svensson)

Mac Hughes  120, 128,    Top 70 on prior years FedECup points list (Taylor Pendrith)

Taylor Pendrith  89, 81      Tournament winner last two seasons (Mac Hughes)

Ben Silverman  151, 249     126-150 n FedExCup Fall Points List (Cameron Champ)

Adam Svensson  149, 375    Top 5 PGA Tour Q School (Adam Hadwin)

Sudarshan Yellamaraju  32, 118    Top 20 Prior season Korn Ferry Tour list (Ryan Gerard)

Bryan Angus

Volvo China Open Full TEE TIMES..Aaron Cockerill returns..

 DP World Tour : Volvo China Open Tee Times Leaderboard

156 DP World Tour players have had their passports stamped and apart from the nationals have flown to Shanghai China to play this years version of the Volvo China Open on the Enhance Anting GC. 

There is a lot of rain in the area today Wednesday right through tee times on Thursday morning so the course will get a soaking before the system moves out for Friday and the weekend.

Shanghai now has a population estimated at 31,050,000, consider the entire country of Canada is estimated at 41,470,000.

Enhance Anting is a prestigious, private 18 hole championship course built north of Shanghai on a flat site in an industrial area by Robert Trent ones Jr., creating mounds and hills to provide a parkland style environment. 

Aaron Cockerill has flown in from his home in Dubai, currently ranked #475 owgr and #136 Race to Dubai. This is his 8th event in 2026.

He last played March 28th, 26 days ago when he WD after 18 holes in torrential rain and wind, 80 at the Hero Indian Open.

He has MC in 3 other tournaments, his best finish 21/02/26 T18 Magical Kenya Open.

He is also in next week's event in Turkey. You can follow his daily results here.

WEATHER

Tuesday 90% chance of rain overnight

Wednesday 19*c 100% chance of rain afternoon, 80% chance overnight

Thursday 13*c 90% chance light showers morning, cloudy wind 19kmh N.

The rain moves out with little chance for the rest of the event and plenty of sunshine.

Bryan Angus