EurAsia Cup’s team Europe captain Darren Clarke has thrown down the gauntlet to his rival predicting his team can win the highly anticipated second edition of the Cup presented by DRB-Hicom and scheduled from Jan 15 to 17, next year.
“I think we can win, I know we can win and I hope we will win,” said the 47-year-old Clarke in a press conference at the host venue, Glenmarie Golf and Country Club in Shah Alam.
“Team Europe is coming here to win. I’ve got to beat my old friend Jeev Milkha Singh, the Team Asia captain. I can’t have Jeev beat me. I’m looking forward to it.”
Clarke, who is also a non-playing captain
Darren Clarke holding aloft the EurAsia Cup.
of Europe’s Ryder Cup team, visited the host venue in preparation for the inter-continental team match play showdown which ended in a thrilling 10-10 draw last year.
The EurAsia Cup which will feature 24 matches, is based on a format similar to the Ryder Cup where the teams will go head-to-head in the fourball format (better ball) on day one, foursome on day two before culminating with the singles on the final day.
The winning team will share the prize money of US$3.6 million (about RM15.5 million) while the runner-up will share US$1.2 million (about RM5.2 million).
In the first edition of the EurAsia Cup, Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez was nominated by previous Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley to lead Team Europe while Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee was selected as Team Asia captain.
“I feel to be captain of the Ryder Cup is the highest honour that The European Tour can bestow us as members. Then to have the opportunity to be captain of the EurAsia Cup is also a huge honour because I can only see the EurAsia Cup golfing in one direction…I see it only growing bigger and bigger and bigger,” he said.
Clarke, a 14-time European Tour winner, a Major champion and a five-time Ryder Cup team member added that Team Europe would not underestimate Team Asia, especially with the likes of Asian Tour stars Thongchai Jaidee, Anirban Lahiri (India) and Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Thailand), ranked inside the world’s top-50.
Team Europe will be selected from the leading 10 available players of the final 2015 Race to Dubai rankings and two captain’s picks while the selection of Team Asia would be based on leading four available players from the 2015 Asian Tour Order of Merit (as of Dec 14), leading four eligible and available Asian players from the Official World Golf Ranking (as of Dec 14), and four captain’s picks.
- Story thanks to Bernama
