European Team captain Darren Clarke insists there will be no complacency with Europe taking a commanding six-point lead into the final day of the EurAsia Cup in Kuala Lumpur.
Clarke’s 12-man team doubled their first round three-point lead in winning four of Saturday’s Fourball matches, losing one and halving the other for 9 – 3 points advantage in in sauna-like conditions on the Glenmaris Golf and Country Club course.
Clarke, also as the current European Ryder Cup captain, could not have been more delighted with team lynch pins Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter again winning both of their encounters against their Asian Tour rivals.
Europe now need to only secure three-and-a-half points from the dozen points up for grabs in the Sunday’s Singles deciding matches to win the trophy after the inaugural 2014 event ended in a 10-all draw.
Darren Clarke gets it right sending Ian Poulter out both days in the first match
“I am a very excited Captain but then this morning Asia came at us strongly and we expected that but then the quality of the European guys showed as they just knuckled down, fought hard so I feel very pleased with the overall result,” he said.
“My advice now to the team that there be no complacency. I’ve been in a few Ryder Cup scenarios where we have had big leads and stuff and it hasn’t worked out that way.
“First and foremost tomorrow, I want the guys to go out and enjoy themselves and go and play well, and each point is its own individual match.
“It’s not towards the team. It’s not towards anything but then we will look at the final score when it’s all finished and that’s what I want them to do.”
The second commenced with Europe in front 4 ½ points to 1 ½ .
And also for second day running Poulter, a veteran of five Ryder Cup’s, set the tone for the day’s play and on this occasion teaming with fellow England-born Danny Willett winning 3 & 2 against Asian Team counterparts Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand and Byeong Hun An of Korea.
Then in a 10-minute period Europe won three points to race to an 8 ½ to 1 ½ lead with Bernd Wiesberger of Austria and England’s Ross Fisher securing a 2up success over the all-Korean duo of K T Kim and Jeung Hun Wang.
A second all-England duo of Lee Westwood and 21-year old Matthew Fitzpatrick snatched the biggest win on day two with a 5 & 4 triumph over Indian and Asian Tour No. 1 Anirban Lahiri and China’s Ashun Wu.
The defeat was Lahiri’s second in the two days.
Kiradech Aphibarnrat birdie s the last to help secure Asia the only point on day 2 of the EurAsia Cup. (Photo – Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie)
Asia secured their only victory at the final hole when Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat and India’s SSP Chawrasia gelled superbly to win 2 up over Sweden’s Kristoffer Broberg and England’s Chris Wood.
The Asian pair had been 3up after seven holes but were just 1up when Europe birdied the penultimate hole ahead of Aphibarnrat birding the last hole for the win.
“It was a great way to finish with a birdie but then we both were playing solid golf today and really played well as a team,” said Aphibarnrat.
“The fact that we were the only ones to win today was very important as the team as a whole would have been disappointed not to have won at least one game.
“Looking at the leader-board we are six points behind so we are going to need a repeat of two years ago if we to have any chance of winning tomorrow.”
In 2014 Asia won seven of the then 10 Sunday Singles matches to square the first staging of the tournament 10 all.
Ireland’s Shane Lowry and England’s Andy Sullivan remained undefeated in the team format winning 3 & 2 over Thailand’s Prayad Marksaeng and Japan’s Shingo Katayama.
The final match of the day between Sweden’s Soren Kjeldsen and Frenchman Victor Dubuisson against the all-Malaysian pair of Danny Chia and Nicholas Fung was halved.
However Asia, who were 1up playing the 17th, had the chance to win the match but bogeyed the hole before the final hole was halved with pars.
The European Team and caddies in the shade awaiting the outcome of the final match on day two of the EurAsia Cup
