Asia makes good start to Royal Trophy
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Reuters
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Ocak 10, 2009 00:00
CHONBURI - Asia took a commanding 3-1 lead over twice-winner Europe on day one of the Royal Trophy on Friday with wins in all but one of the foursomes matches.
Yet to win the competition, the Asians started poorly but showed consistency after the midway point to take the upper hand over a jaded European team which struggled with wayward shots in blustery conditions at the Amata Spring Country Club.
"Compared to the last Royal Trophy, when the Asian team didn't win a match on the first two days, it felt like I must be dreaming to be 3-1 ahead," Asia captain Naomichi "Joe" Ozaki told reporters. "My team now has the confidence from today's performance to go on and play just as well over the next two days."
Thai pairing Thongchai Jaidee and Prayad Marksaeng underlined their familiarity with the course in their 5&4 victory over Niclas Fasth and Johan Edfors, who carded five bogeys and two birdies on a miserable round of 14 holes.
"We had a good partnership going. It was a good win," said Thongchai, who with Prayad hit four birdies and a pair of bogeys. "This team is really good. We were slow starting as every match we were down, but we came back."
Charlie Wi and Liang Wenchong rebounded to secure a 2 up win after a poor start. They trailed for 12 holes before Paul McGinley and Pablo Larrazabal's form took a nosedive on the back nine.
"We were three down really quickly and we had to fight really hard," Wi said. "The back nine we had good shots coming in, got in a good position. We feel great with this win."
Europe captain Jose Maria Olazabal said his team now had a battle on their hands. "The whole team was very disappointed today. We did not play to our usual standards," he said. "They need to push the pedal down when we are in front. We are going to have to play our guts out to try to cut the deficit."
"Compared to the last Royal Trophy, when the Asian team didn't win a match on the first two days, it felt like I must be dreaming to be 3-1 ahead," Asia captain Naomichi "Joe" Ozaki told reporters. "My team now has the confidence from today's performance to go on and play just as well over the next two days."
Thai pairing Thongchai Jaidee and Prayad Marksaeng underlined their familiarity with the course in their 5&4 victory over Niclas Fasth and Johan Edfors, who carded five bogeys and two birdies on a miserable round of 14 holes.
"We had a good partnership going. It was a good win," said Thongchai, who with Prayad hit four birdies and a pair of bogeys. "This team is really good. We were slow starting as every match we were down, but we came back."
Charlie Wi and Liang Wenchong rebounded to secure a 2 up win after a poor start. They trailed for 12 holes before Paul McGinley and Pablo Larrazabal's form took a nosedive on the back nine.
"We were three down really quickly and we had to fight really hard," Wi said. "The back nine we had good shots coming in, got in a good position. We feel great with this win."
Europe captain Jose Maria Olazabal said his team now had a battle on their hands. "The whole team was very disappointed today. We did not play to our usual standards," he said. "They need to push the pedal down when we are in front. We are going to have to play our guts out to try to cut the deficit."