TEAM Asia are poised to win their first-ever EurAsia Cup trophy after leading by a point following the score of 6½-5½ against Team Europe at the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club today.
Starting the day with a one point lead, Team Asia, led by Arjun Atwal, got their first point through Malaysia’s Gavin Green and Yuta Ikeda of Japan.
Despite a bad break on the 14th, which they conceded a hole, Gavin-Ikeda fought back from the 15th onwards with fine tee shots.
“We had a couple of hiccups in the middle of the round and towards the end but we managed to pull off a strong finish,” said Gavin.
But the boards were blue-lit following three consecutive points by the Europeans which started with a Tommy Fleetwood-Henrik Stenson pairing to go up a point at 3&2 against S.S.P Chawrasia-Anirban Lahiri.
Paul Casey-Tyrrell Hatton made it 2&1 against Kiradech Aphibarnrat-An Byeonghun after the Asians collected back-to-back bogeys on the 8th and 9th.
Europe pulled away on 5 ½ after Matt Fitzpatrick-Thomas Pieters beat Kang Sunghoon-Poom Saksansin 3&2.
But Phachara Khongwatmai-Hideto Tanihara notched a point for Asia against Paul Dunner-Alex Noren.
Asia closed day two with another stunner from China’s 22-year-old Li Haotong, who partnering Malaysia’s Nicholas Fung, came back brilliantly from a double bogey on the sixth, to give their team the lead.