Get Instant News Updates
Enable
x
Notification Settings X
Time Settings
Done
Clear Notification X
Do you want to clear all the notifications from your inbox?
Settings X
For Quick Alerts
ALLOW NOTIFICATIONS  
For Daily Alerts

Captain Atwal announces the Asian team for the EurAsia Cup

The third edition of the EurAsia Cup golf tournament is set to be conducted from January 12 to 14 at the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club in Shah Alam, Malaysia.

By Chitrangada
Asian Captain Arjun Atwal

Bengaluru, November 28: The third edition of the EurAsia Cup golf tournament is set to be conducted from January 12 to 14 at the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club in Shah Alam, Malaysia.

With the tournament less than two months away, the Asian team was announced on Tuesday (November 28). While the Asian team will be lead by seasoned Indian pro Arjun Atwal, the European team will be captained by Thomas Bjorn. Atwal is the second Indian to lead the Asia side in the tournament, after his compatriot Jeev Milka Singh led in the previous edition in 2016.

Atwal went for a mix of youth and experience while building his 13-member team. The seasoned pro picked four members as the captain's pick, while the rest include, the four leading players available from the current Asian Tour Order of Merit and the leading four eligible players from Asia from the Official World Golf Ranking as of Monday (November 27).

The youngest player in the Asian team is 18-year-old Phachara Khongwatmai from Thailand, while the oldest player is Atwal's compatriot, 39-year-old SSP Chawrasia. Out of the 13 players, six are still in their 20s.

The captain's pick in the Asian team include, Hideto Tanihara, Kang Sung-hoon, An Byeong-hun and Nicholas Fung.

Meanwhile, Asian Tour Order of Merit leader Gavin Green, fourth-placed Chawrasia, fifth-placed Khongwatmai and sixth-placed Poom Saksansin, make up the leading four Asian Tour players.

The remaining four players to make the cut, the top available players from the World Rankings include, India's top pro Anirban Lahiri, ranked 65, Yuta Ikeda, ranked 37, Li Haotong, ranked at 57 and Kiradech Aphibarnrat, ranked 59.

While selecting the captain's pick, Atwal recalled Byeonghun, who was a part of the 2016 Asian team. Meanwhile, Tanihara and Fung, who have been picked by Atwal, is set for their third appearance in the tournament. Atwal's fourth choice, Kang, is set for his debut appearance.

Order of Merit leader Green is also set for his maiden appearance in the tournament.

While Atwal has a lot of young blood in his team, he will also benefit from the experience of senior pros Chawrasia and Lahiri. Lahiri has been a part of the last two editions of the EurAsia Cup. Moreover, Atwal will bank on Chawrasia to put up a strong show, as he is in fine form, following his Indian Open title defence and his attempt to reach the top spot on the Asian tour Order of Merit list.

While the Asian tour is a tough team, they are expected to face tough competition from the European team, which is made up of a cluster of top golfers. The team lead by Bjorn, include, Paul Casey, Paul Dunner, Ross Fisher, Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Tommy Fleetwood, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton, Alex Levy, Alex Noren, Thomas Piers, Bernd Wiesberger and Henrik Stenson.

The captain's pick in the European team include, rookies Levy and Casey.

The tournament, set to be held in January, will feature 24 matches, with the opening day showcasing six Fourball matches, followed by six Foursomes matches and 12 singles matches on the third and final day.

Europe will head into the tournament as defending champions, after lifting the trophy in the 2016 edition. In the first edition in 2014, the tournament ended in a tie.

Story first published: Tuesday, November 28, 2017, 17:28 [IST]
Other articles published on Nov 28, 2017