Captain Thongchai pays courtesy call to Malaysian Prime Minister
By
Team Asia captain Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand paid a courtesy visit to Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at the Prime Minister’s Office this morning ahead of March's inaugural edition of the EurAsia Cup presented by DRB-HICOM.
Thongchai, a three-time Asian Tour number one and a double Malaysian Open champion, will lead a ten-man Asian team to face Team Europe, led by team captain and Spanish star Miguel Angel Jimenez, at the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club from March 27-29, 2014, ensuring yet another world-class golf tournament to be staged on Malaysian soil.
Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Chairman Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid, DRB-HICOM Chief Operating Officer, Services and Properties, Datuk Mohammed Razeek Md Hussain, Asian Tour Chairman Kyi Hla Han were also in the visiting party to the Prime Minister’s office where they spent 15 minutes briefing Najib on the preparation and progress of the EurAsia Cup.
“I’m looking forward to watching another world class golf tournament being held in Malaysia. I would like to wish Thongchai and Team Asia all the best against Europe at the EurAsia Cup this coming March,” said Datuk Seri Najib.
The EurAsia Cup is sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour, with the PGM acting as the local coordinator.
Thongchai has already announced nine players in his team – Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Tha), Anirban Lahiri (Ind), Siddikur Rahman(Ban), Gaganjeet Bhullar (Ind), Kim Hyung-sung (Kor), Koumei Oda (Jpn), Hideto Tanihara (Jpn) and Nicholas Fung (Mas – Captain’s pick). He will name one more captain’s pick in the next few weeks. The selection of players is based on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit and Official World Golf Ranking.
Europe will be represented by Graeme McDowell (NIR), Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Esp), Victor Dubuisson (Fra), Jamie Donaldson (Wal), Thomas Bjorn (Den), Stephen Gallacher (Sco), Joost Luiten (Ned) and Jimenez, who will later name his two captain’s picks to complete his 10-man line-up.
The first day of the EurAsia Cup will see five fourball matches being played, followed by five foursome matches on day two and 10 singles matches in the final third.
