European Tour: Maybank Championship power rankings

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KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – FEBRUARY 11: Li Haotong of China in action during Day Three of the Maybank Championship Malaysia at Saujana Golf and Country Club on February 11, 2017 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Photo by Stanley Chou/Getty Images) /

A combination of good form and course history makes Haotong Li a popular pick this week. The 22-year-old Chinese held off Rory McIlroy for his second European Tour victory last week at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

Last year at the Maybank Championship, Li tied for fifth and got better with each round. A Sunday 65 capped four sub-par rounds.

Li will be one of the biggest hitters in the field after averaging 314 yards off the tee at last year’s event. If he can get the putter rolling like he did to seal last week’s win and that helped him finish first last week and second at last year’s Maybank in putts per GIR, he’ll be tough to beat.

Fatigue after a win can potentially be tough to handle. Following his win at the Volvo China Open in 2017, Li took a week off. This time he’ll try to ride the momentum into another high finish.

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