The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Europelead byfourdespite Asiafightback
EUROPE WILL take a 7-3 lead into the final day of the inaugural EurA sia Cup today despite a spirited fightback fromA sia in Kuala Lumpur.
A fter being whitewashed 5- 0 in Thursday’s fourballs, Thongchai Jaidee’s side hit back to take three points from yesterday’s foursomes, at one point even leading in four of the matches and being level in the other.
In the end they had to settle for Prayad Marksaeng and Kim Hyung- sung beating Thomas Bjorn and Thorbjorn Olesen4&3andA nirbanLahiriandSiddikur Rahman defeating Joost Luiten and Victor Dubuisson on the 18th, with two matches finishing all square.
Europe’s only winners were Graeme McDowell and Jamie Donaldson, who came from behind for the second match in succession to beat Gaganjeet Bhullar and Nicholas Fung 2&1.
Captain Miguel A ngel Jimenez helped deny Jaidee and Kiradech A phibarnrat victory in the opening contest, the 50-yearold making two eagles at Glenmarie Golf and Country Club for the second day running before a superb approach to the 18th set up Pablo Larrazabal for a birdie.
Gonzalo Fernandez- Castano and Stephen Gallacher also halved their match with Koumei Oda and Hideto Tanihara thanks to a birdie on the 17th, although the European pair missed another birdie chance on the last to win having let slip a three-hole lead.
Jimenez’s side now need just three and a half points from today’s 10 singles matches to secure overall victory.
A fter losing the opening hole, Bjorn and Olesen had birdied the third to get back on level terms, but promptly lost the next two holes and were three down after eight thanks to a birdie from their opponents.
Kim converted his team-mate’s excellent tee shot on the par-three 12th for another birdie to move four up, and although the European pair reduced the deficit on the next, a par on the 14th was good enough to put Marksaeng and Kim four ahead once more and they claimed A sia’s first point on the 15th.
A fter Jimenez’s heroics, the third match also finished all square after Scotland’s Gallacher missed from 12 feet on the 18th to snatch victory.
McDowell and Donaldson were three down after seven on Thursday and two down after eight today, but were thereafter gifted a number of holes by mistakes from their opponents and they sealed victory with a par on the 17th.
Luiten and Dubuisson had been one up with seven to play but the A sia pairing fought back and Lahiri held his nerve to hole from seven feet to secure victory.