The DP World Tour made its return to China on Thursday as the Hainan Classic got underway at Mission Hills in Haikou. Officials are hailing it as a pivotal moment for the sport's growth and a showcase of Hainan's emergence as a global sports destination.

The tournament, the first of the tour's Asian Swing, features a field of 120 players from 27 countries and regions competing for a $2.55 million purse.

At a pre-tournament news conference on Wednesday, golf leaders spoke on the event's significance beyond the competition.

Wei Qingfeng, secretary-general of the China Golf Association, said hosting world-class competitions is a key objective for the development of sports in the country. He noted the tournament's new dual-course format — which will see players compete simultaneously on two 36-hole layouts — as a testament to its international and professional standards. Wei also pointed to the CGA's concurrent campus mini-golf event for children as an example of integrating sports with tourism to support Hainan's development as an international tourism hub.

Xie Fei, director of the European Tour Group's China office, emphasized the long-standing partnership between the tour and the CGA, which now spans more than two decades. She explained the stakes for players in the Asian Swing, the third of five global swings in the 2026 season. The highest-ranked player in the Asian Swing will earn a spot in the DP World Tour's back-nine events, with the top three securing entry into the US PGA Championship in May.