Friday, March 29, 2024 | Ramadan 18, 1445 H
clear sky
weather
OMAN
25°C / 25°C
EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Europe fight back to defeat Asia in EurAsia Cup

1222627
1222627
minus
plus

Kuala Lumpur: Europe came from behind to convincingly defeat Asia and retain the EurAsia Cup title on Sunday, in a boost for captain Thomas Bjorn as he gears up for the Ryder Cup.


Bjorn’s side entered the final day of the tournament in Malaysia trailing Asia by one point but put on a masterclass in the singles, winning eight out of 12 matches.


They secured a 14 to 10 overall victory against Indian captain Arjun Atwal’s men, a disappointment for Team Asia who had ended the first two days of the three-day event with a slim lead.


Team Asia has never won the biennial, Ryder Cup-style match play tournament. Europe thrashed Asia the last time it was held in 2016 while the inaugural 2014 edition ended in a tie.


Europe dominated from the start on Sunday and their winning point came when Belgium’s Thomas Pieters defeated South Korea’s An Byeong-Hun in a hard-fought match.


Bjorn hailed his side’s victory in the $4.8 million event: “It was a great performance today from every single one of them. There was a determination and a will of wanting to win this.”


The Dane is also Europe’s Ryder Cup captain and the Malaysian event was a chance for him to run the rule over a heavyweight European side before the showdown against the USA in France in September.


“I learned a lot about myself this week,” said Bjorn, whose team included six Ryder Cup veterans. “I learned a lot about these 12 players, and they have all got potential to be in Paris in nine months time.”


‘Very proud’ -


Despite the loss, Atwal said he was “very proud” of his team.


“They are all awesome players, it’s just unfortunate that we ran into a buzzsaw today,” he said.


“It looked like every time I watched my players, they were hitting the edges and it seemed Europe, every time I watched them, were either chipping in or making birdies.”


Bjorn’s side, all European Tour winners, won seven of the eight first matches on Sunday at the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club near Kuala Lumpur.


In his showdown, Pieters started strongly by winning four of the first six holes against An to establish a strong lead but the Korean fought back and levelled the match. — AFP


SHARE ARTICLE
arrow up
home icon