China Open 2015: Daily Leaderboard Analysis, Highlights and More

Home player Ashun Wu completed a hugely popular victory at the 2015 China Open on Sunday at the Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club.

Wu finished nine under par for the tournament, one shot ahead of England's David Howell, who bogeyed the last in unfortunate fashion.

Alexander Levy, the 2014 champion, put up a gallant defence of his title but eventually finished in a tie for third in a competitive tournament.

Read on for updates of how the action played out in China at this prestigious event.

Day 4 Recap

Uncredited/Associated Press

Wu posted a solid one-under round of 71, with birdies on the fifth and the 10th to finish nine under for the tournament, with Howell following him in the final group.

Howell looked to have missed his opportunity on 17, but an impressive up and down kept him in contention. He needed a birdie for the win on 18 or a par to force a playoff.

However, poor approach play on the last left Howell hamstrung, and he had to settle for a bogey on 18, which handed Wu the title and the China Open its first home winner.

Here's the leaderboard after an entertaining tournament:

Position	Player	Overall	Round 4 Score
1	Ashun Wu	-9	71
2	David Howell	-8	72
T3	Emiliano Grillo	-7	69
T3	Prom Meesawat	-7	71
T3	Alexander Levy	-7	73
6	Hao-Tong Li	-6	74
7	Richie Ramsay	-5	73
T8	Peter Uihlein	-4	71
T8	Byeong-hun An	-4	68
T8	Romain Wattel	-4	71

The full leaderboard is available at the official European Tour site.

Howell had looked the more likely winner for most of Sunday, but two dropped shots on the back nine proved to be his downfall.

Argentina's Emiliano Grillo looked to be making a late bid for victory as he went five under for his final round—and nine under for the tournament—after 15 holes on Sunday.

But a double-bogey five on the par-three 17th was a hammer blow for the youngster, and he had to settle for a tie for third. 

Prom Meesawat also finished seven under par after a final round of 71, tying with defending champion Levy, whose double bogey on eight blotted a final-round 73.

China's Hao-tong Li, playing with Howell in the final group, finished in sixth at six under after a disappointing 74 on Sunday, but it was overall an impressive performance from the 19-year-old.

France's Benjamin Hebert looked to be moving into contention after an ace on the eighth, per the European Tour, but five subsequent bogeys saw him finish at two under:

Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat, the winner last time out at the Shenzhen International, recorded a one-under for the tournament, following his ruinous 76 on Saturday with a level-par 72.

America's Peter Uihlein had another top-10 finish following his Shenzhen success, shooting 71 on Sunday to card a four-under for the tournament.

The next tournament on the schedule is the WGC-Cadillac Match Play in San Francisco, which starts on Wednesday.

Day 3 Recap

Four players find themselves tied for a share of the top spot on the leaderboard at the 2015 Volvo China Open. Englishman David Howell is joined by Frenchman Alexander Levy and two home players in the four principal slots.

Here's what the leaderboard looks like after Day 3:

Position	Player	Overall	Round 3 Score
T1	Alexander Levy	-8	71
T1	Ashun Wu	-8	69
T1	David Howell	-8	68
T1	Hao-tong Li	-8	69
T5	Richie Ramsay	-6	70
T5	Prom Meesawat	-6	68
T5	Magnus A. Carlsson	-6	65
T5	Seve Benson	-6	66
9	Thomas Pieters	-5	70
T10	Julien Quesne	-4	76

The full leaderboard is available at the official European Tour site.

Li has been one of the big surprises of the tournament so far. At least he was until he thrived again on Day 3. Now he's no longer a surprise package, according to the European Tour official Twitter account:

Li proved his bona fides with a scorecard that featured four birdies during the first nine holes. The 19-year-old also hit par on 13 other holes.

Howell's scoring broke down in similar fashion. The only difference was how the Englishman's five birdies were spread across seven holes, between the seventh and 13th.

Li's countryman Ashun Wu's scoring was a little more erratic. He didn't have the same breaks of fortune those directly above him enjoyed.

Memorably, Wu was denied a birdie at the 15th probably by millimetres, as highlights from the European Tour Twitter feed show:

Defending champion Alexander Levy will be frustrated to still be in a four-way tie for the top spot. But the Frenchman did at least provide one of the true highlights of the day's play.

Levy earned a birdie at the third hole thanks to an astonishing long-range drive:

Levy made a strong and bright start to his day by hitting four birdies in a row. But bogies on the fifth, 14th and 15th mean the Frenchman remains trapped in the pack.

The congestion at the top has set up what should be a fascinating and thrilling final day's play.

All scorecard information courtesy of EuropeanTour.com.

Day 2 Recap

Lai Seng Sin/Associated Press

French golfer Julien Quesne leads the way at the end of the second round of the China Open from compatriot, and defending champion, Alexander Levy and Peter Uihlein.

Quesne shot a round of 67 to sit on eight under par to hold a one-shot lead over Levy and Uihlein, while there is a group of six players in a tie for third place on five under, including Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who won in China last week.

Here’s a look at how the leaderboard is shaping up after a fascinating second day in Shanghai:

Position	Player	Overall	Round 2 Score
1	Julien Quesne	-8	67
T2	Alexander Levy	-7	68
T2	Peter Uihlein	-7	67
T4	Matteo Manassero	-5	68
T4	Kiradech Aphibarnrat	-5	68
T4	Jerome Lando Casanova	-5	68
T4	Ashun Wu	-5	66
T4	Hao-tong Li	-5	68
T4	Romain Wattel	-5	67

For the full leaderboard, check out the European Tour’s official website.

Conditions were more favourable than on the opening day as there were a few lower scores than in the first round, including Quesne’s round of five under. At one stage, Quesne and Levy had both reached nine under in their rounds:

However, Quesne bogeyed the 17th to drop back to eight under. Levy, meanwhile, took a double bogey six on the 16th, which was playing as the hardest hole of the day. He followed that up with a bogey at 17 before rallying with a birdie on the par-five last to maintain his bid for back-to-back titles. Uihlein eagled the last to join Levy on seven under following a round of 67.

Quesne finished in a tie for fourth at the Shenzhen International and he has taken confidence from his performance last week, per the European Tour's official website:

"

I played much better today, so that was the main reason for my good score. I felt very comfortable and hardly missed any shots, so it was a very good day all round. My performance last week definitely helps build the confidence, so I felt good at the start of the week and I’m still feeling good now, but there’s a long way to go. There are so many good golfers in France now, so it’s logical that you see lots of French players up near the top of the leaderboard. I hope we can keep it going over the weekend.

"

Matteo Manassero has endured a difficult start to the year, but he put himself in contention with a round of 68, which included a birdie at the 18th:

Aphibarnrat, meanwhile, is delighted to be in contention again, per the European Tour’s official website, as he looks to complete a memorable double following his win in the Shenzhen International:

"

I’m very happy, especially as it’s playing tough–there are lots of slopes on the greens and the course is very firm. I’m not driving the ball as well as I did last week, but the rest of my game is in pretty good shape, especially my short game. I’m still feeling good; I’ve been getting lots of rest and eating well, so I’m feeling fine and ready to go. Mentally I’m still sharp and my confidence is high, so I just have to keep it up. 

"

Quesne’s fellow Frenchmen, Jerome Lando Casanova and Romain Wattel, are in the group on five under, along with the Chinese duo Ashun Wu and Hao-tong Li.

Kamran Jebreili/Associated Press

There had been a three-way tie at the top at the end of the first round, but the opening-day leaders failed to make progress. David Howell shot a level-par 72 to stay on four under, but Michael Hendry fired a 73 to drop to three under and Bradley Dredge hit a 74 to slip back to two under overall.

After shooting an eight over par 80 in the first round, Felipe Aguilar probably wouldn’t have expected to be around for the weekend. But a stunning seven under par 65, the best round of the day, ensured he made the cut with a couple of shots to spare and he outlined the reason for the improvement:

The cut line fell at two over par and that meant 2011 champion Nicolas Colsaerts missed out on making the weekend by a shot after he could only manage a 71 on the back of his opening round of 76.

With such a strong French flavour at the top of the leaderboard, it would be no surprise to see the Tricolore flying on Sunday, especially given the way Quesne and Levy are playing.

But, with Manassero showing improved form, the Italian can’t be discounted and neither can the prospect of a home win as the tournament shapes up for an exciting final two rounds.

Day 1 Recap

Bob Edme/Associated Press

There’s a three-way tie atop of the leaderboard after Day 1 of the China Open, with Michael Hendry, Bradley Dredge and David Howell all nicely poised at four under par after rounds of 68.

Reigning champion Alexander Levy is just one shot back alongside compatriot Julien Quesne and Marcus Fraser.

Here’s a look at how the leaderboard is shaping up after an intriguing opening day in Shanghai:

Position	Player	Overall	Round 1 Score
T1	David Howell	-4	68
T1	Michael Hendry	-4	68
T1	Bradley Dredge	-4	68
T4	Alexander Levy	-3	69
T4	Julien Quesne	-3	69
T4	Marcus Fraser	-3	69
T7	Oliver Wilson	-2	70
T7	Benjamin Herbert	-2	70
T7	Lee Craig	-2	70
T7	Johan Carlsson	-2	70

For the full leaderboard, check out the European Tour’s official website.

It was a day on which the players taking to the course found momentum tough to come by, as conditions prevented scintillating low scoring. As we can see here, courtesy of the official European Tour Twitter feed, there was only one hole playing at a below-par average for the day:

With those factors considered, it makes the exploits of the leaders all the more impressive. Of the trio at the top, Howell is the most illustrious of names, and he will have been delighted with his round of 68, which included five birdies.

The former Ryder Cup star wasn’t at his fluid best, but when the opportunities arose, he was clinical in gobbling them up. Howell also has a penchant for flourishing on the par threes, and he was making good on that reputation here on Day 1:

Naturally, the Englishman was pretty pleased with his overall effort, per the European Tour’s official website:

"

I’m delighted, it’s a really different test this week.

We knew it was firm in practice, but it was hard to work out how difficult it was going to be. The scoring showed people are finding it tricky.

I drove the ball beautifully today, really found my rhythm on the range and took it out onto the course so I kept the ball in play well and did a lot of things right.

"

Rene Schuetze/Associated Press

Alongside him is New Zealand star Hendry. His round was blemish-free, notching four birdies in the opening 10 holes, before finishing solidly with a sustained run of pars. As we can see here, after a strong performance last week, he seems to have preserved some momentum ahead of this tournament:

Dredge matched his effort to draw level at the top of the leaderboard and admitted that things were pretty wild on course, per the European Tour’s official website:

"

The greens were really firm so the big thing was if you were hitting fairways you had chances.

It was never easy getting the ball close to the hole with slopes on the greens and the firmness; it was quite tricky round there.

This afternoon the wind is going to get up and it will be firmer still, so I’d be surprised if four under was beaten out there – it would be some score out there to beat four.

"

Rene Schütze/Associated Press

There are some quality players that will fancy their chances of hunting down the leading trio, though. Levy was another man who couldn’t put together a sustained run of low scoring, but as we can see here, he coped with the firm greens pretty well, all things considered:

While we all love to see a flurry of low scoring, it’s intriguing to see golfers tested by unfavourable conditions, and that was certainly the case on the opening day here.

Those that clung on in there will feel as though they have a fine chance of surging up the leaderboard as the weekend rolls on and, with the forecast set to improve, expect increasingly lower scores to be posted as we move towards what will hopefully be another thrilling climax.