Team captains ready to battle it out in EurAsia Cup

SHAH ALAM: The third EurAsia Cup will be held at Glenmarie Golf and Country Club (GGCC) here on Friday, amid expectations of a closely fought battle between two formidable continents, Europe and Asia.

“We have seen how much the Asian players have improved over the last few years. The gap between Asia and Europe is narrowing.

“We have a good mix of young and experienced players in the team,” said Team Asia captain, Arjun Artwal of India, at the team captains’ press conference at the tournament’s media centre at GGCC here yesterday.

“Everybody knows that we are underdogs, except those in my team. This is the feeling I’m giving them as there is no such thing in match play golf. You can be underdogs on paper, but once the matches start, you’re just trying to beat the opponents.

Arjun said Team Europe is stronger team based on their performance at The Ryder Cup.

“Personally, whenever I’m in a good place having fun playing golf, I usually play my best. With the EurAsia Cup being staged in Asia, we definitely have a good chance,” he said.

The coveted trophy was shared during the inaugural three-day Ryder Cup style tournament in 2014 when both teams were tied with identical 10 points. Team Europe won in 2016.

Meanwhile, Team Europe’s captain Thomas Bjorn noted that he was aware of Team Asia would field a stronger line-up this time.

“Those 12 players standing on the other side are very good and talented. There are many young players in the Asian Team. We are not going to beat them easily. We’re very well aware of what we are up against.”

Bjorn added that his team also would put on a strong challenge and have the eagerness to win.

“This says a lot about those 12 players. I don’t need to explain to them that they have to go out and try to win this and disrespect their opponents, because we never do.

“We never have and we never will,” added the 46-year-old Dane, who is also the Europe team captain for this year’s Ryder Cup.

However, he said the EurAsia Cup would not be a testing ground for him in preparation for The Ryder Cup.

“Well, it’s a test for The Ryder Cup, I think we’ll have problems, because that’s a disrespect for this team and the other team.”

The EurAsia Cup scheduled from January 15-17 will feature 24 matches, with day one showcasing six Fourball matches, followed by six Foursome matches and 12 Singles matches on the third day.

The winning team will share the prize money of US$3.6 million (about RM14.4 million) while the runners-up will share US$1.2 million (about RM4.8 million). – Bernama