Shenzhen, Apr 20 (IANS): The 2024 China Open makes its highly anticipated return to the DP World Tour schedule, as the country's premier open golf tournament is set to unfold from May 2-5 at the Hidden Grace Golf Club in Shenzhen.

After a five-year hiatus from the DP World Tour, the 29th edition of the Volvo China Open, boasting a total prize fund of 2.25 million U.S. dollars, will showcase a diverse field of accomplished and rising stars from around the world of golf.

Among them are England's Jordan Smith, who has a total of seven professional victories to his credit, the 2022 European Tour winner Yannik Paul of Germany, and 29-year-old Zander Lombard from South Africa, who opened the season with a second-place finish at the Bahrain Championship in February, alongside defending champion Sarit Suwannarut.

Suwannarut secured victory last year in Shenzhen with impressive scores of 65 and 64 in the third and fourth rounds, marking his second win on the Asian Tour following his first-place finish at the Indonesian Masters in 2022, reports Xinhua.

"I'll be focusing on the process and what I can control and hopefully it pays off. I'm looking forward to winning and playing alongside the top players in the world," said the 26-year-old Thai golfer.

Previous China Open champions Nicolas Colsaerts (2011), Alexander Levy (2014, 2017), Wu Ashun (2015), Li Haotong (2016), Zhang Huilin (2020), and Zhang Jin (2021) will also tee it up in this year's tournament.