Jose Maria Olazabal masterminded a superb comeback as team Europe snatched the Royal Trophy from Asia in a stunning victory.
The Europeans, who were trailing 5-3 at the start of play, looked to be down and out after the Thai duo of Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Thongchai Jaidee maintained their 100 per cent winning records to put the overnight leaders 7-3 up, needing just one more point for the win. However, Olazabal mastered another miraculous comeback, one reminiscent of the Ryder Cup showing, with team Europe collecting 5œ of the final six points on offer, with Marc Warren, David Howell, Thorbjorn Olesen, Bernd Wiesberger and Nicolas Colsaerts all winning their matches, and Alvaro Quiros halving with Kim Kyung-Tae. The result caps a gripping day's play at the Dragon Lake Golf Club and the winning captain admitted the performance of the team was amazing. "Our players did something extraordinary today. We knew it was going to be difficult. I thank all eight of these fantastic guys. I'm proud of the way all of the team played." Having been within touching distance of the Trophy, Asia captain Y.E. Yang congratulated the Europeans but admitted he was stunned at the outcome. "I congratulate Europe for an outstanding comeback. It was a great tournament but unfortunately a shocking loss for us," he said. "I never expected this because we were so far in front. The loss is a huge blow and a big surprise. Hopefully we'll learn from the mistakes we made and return stronger next year."
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