Hua Hin: He might have landed here, but the injured Jeev Milkha Singh is still uncertain for the fifth edition of the Royal Trophy, a much-awaited golf clash between Asia and Europe, starting Friday at the
majestic Black Mountain Golf Club.
Jeev, a well-reputed match-play exponent, is a doubtful starter because of a back injury.
"I will give it a shot on the eve of the event," said Jeev, who is the only Indian in the field with Thailand`s Prayad Marksaeng on stand-by.
The competition is played in a Ryder Cup style featuring foursomes, fourballs and singles over three days.
Europe is being led by 47-year-old legendary golfer Colin Montgomerie, who guided the defending champions to an 8.5-7.5 win over Asia last year.
Montgomerie will be present in the role of captain and player. This time, however, Europe is hit by injuries, as both Edoardo Molinari of Italy and Denmark`s Thomas Bjorn have been ruled out.
But Mongomerie does have Swede Henrik Stenson who last year holed the winning putt in the final match against Thailand`s Thongchai Jaidee.
Peter Hanson, another Swede, is the only other member from the Ryder Cup winning European team.Molinari, who would have been the top ranked player from either team in the tournament, and Bjorn have been replaced by in-form Spaniard Pablo Martin and Fredrik Andersson Hed of Sweden, respectively.
Sweden`s Johan Edfors, who owns property and practices regularly at Black Mountain, and Welshman Rhys Davies, complete the Europe line-up.
In spite of the Herculean task at hand, Asia captain Naomichi `Joe` Ozaki is confident that his team can pull it off this time.
Ozaki`s team for the first time looks stronger in the pre-event analyses as three of Asia`s players are in world top 50 and another four are in the top 100.
Asia`s top stars include Kim Kyung-tae of Korea, who won the Japan Tour last year, besides the Japanese superstar Ryo Ishikawa and Yuta Ikeda. They also have Asian Tour Order of merit winner, Noh Seung-yul of Korea, besides veteran Thongchai Jaidee, China`s Liang Wenchong and Japan`s Shunsuke Sonoda.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.