Hong Kong: Thai golf superstar Thongchai Jaidee and Spanish icon Miguel Angel Jimenez will captain Team Asia and Team Europe respectively at the inaugural EurAsia Cup presented by DRB-HICOM next year.
The hugely popular and successful duo will lead golfers from Asia and Europe in a battle for continental pride and honour over three days of Ryder Cup-styled matchplay golf at the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club in Kuala Lumpur from March 27 to 29, 2014.
Jimenez also announced the first four automatic qualifiers for Team Europe with matchplay specialist Graham McDowell of Northern Ireland joining Englishman Jamie Donaldson, Victor Dubuisson of France and Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño in the 10-man squad – the quartet having secured their places based on their final position in the 2013 Race to Dubai.
Jimenez, who will dip into his extensive experience in the Ryder Cup, including two victories at The Belfry (2004) and Celtic Manor (2010) as a player and in Medinah last year, where he was one of Jose Maria Olazabal’s vice-captain.
“The EurAsia Cup presented by DRB-HICOM is a very exciting event indeed and I can’t wait to get to Malaysia for the tournament. We have Europe playing the U.S. at the Ryder Cup, and it is great to now have a fully sanctioned, official competition for the Europeans to lay against the best from Asia. With so many world-class players now emerging from the Asian Tour, it is sure to be a close contest.”
Thongchai is a winner of an unprecedented three Asian Tour Order of Merit titles and has 16 professional victories to his name, including five wins on the European Tour and two Malaysian Open titles. The 44-year-old is one of the most respected and popular players in the game and his experience across both Tours made him the natural choice for captain by the Asian Tour.
“I am honoured and delighted to be asked to captain Team Asia. Week in, week out, we compete as individuals, but the EurAsia Cup presented by DRB-HICOM gives us a different way to play the sport. I am a huge fan of the Ryder Cup, but being Asian, I will never get to play in it.
“The EurAsia Cup will offer the chance for the best Asian and European players to come together, and I am looking forward to leading a determined group that will do their very best for team honour and pride. It is sure to be a great battle and I’ll make sure the Asian team is as well prepared as they can be.”
The new biennial team matchplay golf tournament is presented by DRB-HICOM, one of Malaysia’s largest conglomerates involved in the automotive, property and services; asset and construction sectors.
