Defending champion Gaurav Ghei hopes to battle his way through the strong Japanese field and defend his title at the Pine Valley Beijing Open which tees off on Thursday.
Ghei enjoyed his third triumph on the Asian Tour last year and with the event being sanctioned by the Japan Golf Tour, along with the Asian Tour and China Golf Association, he is hoping for a different approach this week.
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"It's great to be back here. Returning to an event which I have won before is always special," said Ghei.
The top Asian Tour stars who will tee off at the Pine Valley Golf Club include Korean youngster Noh Seung-yul, who finished runner-up at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship last week, former Asian number ones Thongchai Jaidee and Thaworn Wiratchant, former US PGA Tour player Scott Hend and local favourite Zhang Lian-wei.
The Japanese contingent will feature their winning stars in the name of Tetsuji Hiratsuka, Katsumasa Miyamoto, Hiroyuki Fujita, the 2003 Okinawa Open winner, and Sushi Ishigaki.
Hoping to return to the leading fray since his top-10 result at the Indian Masters in February, the Delhi-based Ghei will be determined to emulate his 2007 success which spurred him to a stunning season last year.
