Europe yesterday came from behind to convincingly defeat Asia and retain the EurAsia Cup title, 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 8-12 matches.
They secured a 14-10 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.
Photo: AFP
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 yesterday and their winning point came when Belgium’s Thomas Pieters defeated South Korea’s An Byeong-hun in a hard-fought match.
“It was a great performance today from every single one of them. There was a determination and a will of wanting to win this,” Bjorn said, hailing his side’s victory in the US$4.8 million event.
The event was a chance for him to run the rule over a heavyweight European side before the showdown against the US in France in September.
“I learned a lot about myself this week,” Bjorn said. “I learned a lot about these 12 players and they have all got potential to be in Paris in nine months time.”
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 buzz saw 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 yesterday.
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 leveled the match.
The Belgian scored a 2.1m putt at the 15th to move back out in front before winning another hole, ensuring Europe would retain the trophy.
“It’s always nice to get the winning point,” Pieters said. “I got off to a good start, then played pretty poorly during the middle, then made a couple of very good birdies.”
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