Casey keen to add another jacket to his collection with victory in China

The Englishman won the tournament in 2006 when it was held in Shenzen and still has the golden jacket to prove it. Now, he is hoping to add another one to his collection.

Casey, who tees off with Yorkshire’s Simon Dyson and Nicolas Colsaerts, said: “It would be very nice to have a closet full of those when I end my career.

“Winning is a special thing and I have to say that I like to win tournaments that carry a jacket. Obviously everyone wants the green one (given at the Masters), but it is a cool prize to win here and I like playing in China.

“Shenzen was a great course and great people and I just like coming to this country. I always get a lot of support here and hopefully that can continue this week.”

Casey endured a frustrating start to the season after a dislocated shoulder suffered while snowboarding kept him out until March, but he believes he is getting back to something like his best form.

The 34-year-old said: “Sitting around on the couch has brought the passion back and now I just have to put in a lot of hard work to get back to the required standard.

“The ball-striking is good, but I just don’t have the consistency yet. The razor sharpness in the putting isn’t there yet, but I have made great strides and the confidence is growing.”

Ian Poulter and Peter Hanson will both be in action two weeks after securing top-10 finishes at the Masters, and also in the field will be Guan Tian-lang.

At 13 years and 173 days, Guan will make history as the youngest player to appear in a European Tour event, beating the record of Lo Shik-kai, who was 13 years and 280 days old when he played in the 2003 Hong Kong Open.