Staff WriterAshun Wu punched back against Father Time and a four‑shot deficit on Sunday, marching through Enhance Anting Golf Club with a bogey‑free back nine to snatch his fifth DP World Tour crown.
Almost ten years to the day after first lifting the Volvo China Open trophy, the 39‑year‑old turned history into an encore, signing for a swashbuckling six‑under‑par 65 and a 14‑under total that left the field one shot in arrears.
A Back‑Nine Blitz Worth the Déjà‑Vu
If Wu’s opening birdie hinted at intent, his closing stretch bellowed it. Trailing Spain’s in‑form Eugenio Chacarra by three on the 10th tee, Ashun Wu uncorked a run of five birdies in eight holes while the Spaniard’s sails went slack.
By the time the clubhouse horn sounded, Shanghai’s hometown hero had set a jagged target Chacarra, Jordan Smith and a charging Haotong Li could only admire.
Drama Down the Stretch
Li injected late theatre by holing a thunderous eagle putt at 17 to reach 12‑under, but a flirtation with the greenside stream at the last forced a desperate chip that skittered long—and sealed Wu’s reunion with the silverware.
Smith’s four‑under 67 proved good enough for solo second, while Germany’s Yannik Paul, Chacarra, Li and China’s Zecheng Dou shared bronze on 12‑under.
Career Lifeline Secured
A season ago Wu finished a heartbreaking 115th in the Race to Dubai Rankings—one spot outside the retention line.
Sunday’s triumph rewrites that tale, granting full playing rights through 2027 and spearheading China’s finest collective performance on Tour, with four countrymen inside the top 10.
Ashun Wu: “It’s very special. Ten years ago I won the Volvo China Open in Shanghai and coming back to Shanghai, I’ve won again. That’s a great story. It was a great round. Great golf this week. I’m happy to win my country’s open; it’s very, very exciting.
“Today, the wind was different when we started. It was an opposite wind, so it was quite tough for a couple of holes.
I only made one birdie and one bogey on the first seven holes. On the back nine, I felt like I had more chances to make a birdie. So I stayed patient and never gave up. Five birdies on the back nine was wonderful, it was a really good game today.
“(Jordan Smith) is a nice guy and a really good player. We’ve played a couple of times before. He pushed me to make a birdie, because he started birdie, par, birdie, birdie, pretty quick.
He just had a bad hole on number nine so dropped down a little bit. I thought I had a chance, I just needed to keep going. He pushed me to make some birdies on the back nine. So I stayed patient and knew the chances would come.
“It’s an incredible week. There were incredible fans here. A lovely golf course. Shanghai is my home. I felt pretty relaxed because I’m playing at home. Home has given me luck.”
Scorecard Snapshot
| Position | Player | Final‑Round Score | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ashun Wu | 65 (‑6) | ‑14 |
| 2 | Jordan Smith | 67 (‑4) | ‑13 |
| T3 | Yannik Paul | 70 (‑1) | ‑12 |
| T3 | Haotong Li | 69 (‑2) | ‑12 |
| T3 | Eugenio Chacarra | 73 (+2) | ‑12 |
Why It Matters
- Redemption Arc: From card‑losing disappointment in 2024 to multi‑year exemption in a single Sunday.
- Home‑Soil Heroics: First Chinese winner of the event since his own 2015 breakthrough, energising local galleries and broadcasters.
- Asian Surge: Four Chinese players in the top 10 underscore the region’s growing clout on the DP World Tour.
The Footnote
Wu’s decade‑spanning bookends read like golf’s version of Groundhog Day—minus the groundhogs and with considerably better short‑game touch.
At 39 he might be stretching the definition of “veteran,” but if this Shanghai sprint taught us anything, it’s that experience can still trump youthful horsepower when nerves tingle on the inward half.
