European young guns aiming at Volvo China

Europe's quest to regain the coveted Volvo China Open trophy next week will be led by an emerging band of stars.

The exciting talents of Marc Warren of Scotland, Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Finland's Mikko Ilonen, Francesco Molinari of Italy and Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin will be on full display in the US$2 million Championship at Shanghai Silport Golf Club from April 12-15.

Danish star Thomas Bjorn and 2004 Volvo China Open champion Stephen Dodd of Wales will be amongst the experienced hands vying for glory in the event sanctioned by the Asian Tour, European Tour and China Golf Association.

Since becoming the first event in China to be co-sanctioned in 2004, the Volvo China Open has been won twice by European players before India's Jeev Milkha Singh delivered a popular victory for Asia last year.

All eyes will be on the continent's newest stars including Warren, Ilonen and Castano. The 26-year-old Warren has certainly made a huge impact on the European Tour since winning the Challenge Tour Order of Merit in 2005.

In his debut last year, the talented Scotsman broke through in a big way when he lifted the EnterCard Scandinavian Masters after beating Ryder Cup star Robert Karlsson of Sweden in a play-off. He recorded three other top-10 finishes and sweetened his season by picking up the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award.

It was by a twist of fate that golf benefited from Warren's exciting emergence. The young Scotsman took up the game at the age of 13 after becoming bored by football. "I was the goalkeeper for my local team but we were so good that I never did anything. I just stood around bored out of my mind, so I started playing golf."

Ilonen, a year older than Warren, will arrive at Shanghai Silport in full confidence after securing his long-awaited victory on the European Tour in Indonesia earlier this season, becoming the first Finn to triumph.

As an amateur, Ilonen enjoyed a colourful career, capped by his victory at The Amateur Championship at Royal Liverpool in 2000. He went on to finish 16th in the British Open at the same venue last year, which helped him regain his place on the European Tour.

Castano, 27, is amongst the new breed of champions from Spain. Like Warren, he also won the Rookie of the Year award in 2005 after winning the KLM Open, following in the footsteps of his idol Seve Ballesteros who also enjoyed his maiden win in the Netherlands.

His position as one of the leading talents from Europe was cemented when Castano defeated Henrik Stenson of Sweden to win a second title in China last season, and promptly proposed to his girlfriend Alicia whom he married later in the year.

Molinari, still only 24, is another rising star with a great future ahead of him. The younger of the golfing Molinari brothers, he secured a famous home win at the Italian Open last year, the first success by an Italian on home soil in 26 years.

"It's amazing – unbelievable," said Molinari of his victory. "I never thought I would win so early in my career. I wanted to bring some joy to Italian golf, but I didn't think that I would do it so soon. It’s unbelievable – a dream come true."

The Volvo China Open, inaugurated in 1995, will offer a record prize fund of US$2 million this year.

April 5, 2007

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