Bangkok, Thailand – Asia did not lose a match Saturday and extended its lead with a big day at The Royal Trophy.
Asia leads Europe after two days 6 1/2 – 1 1/2. The European team will need to better its 6-2 showing in the 2007 singles matches to claim this title for the third straight time.
The all-Thai team of Thongchai Jaidee and Prayad Marksaeng again posted an easy win as they took down Spain's Pablo Larrazabal and Irishman Paul McGinley, 4 & 2.
Ryo Ishikawa and Toru Taniguchi battled to a halve in the opening match at Amata Spring Country Club with Paul Lawrie and Soren Hansen.
Charlie Wi and Wen-Chong Liang cruised to a 3 & 2 win over Nick Dougherty and Oliver Wilson. In the other match, Hideto Tanihara and S.K. Ho fended off Niclas Fasth and Johan Edfors, 2 & 1.
The Ryder Cup-style competition — which was postponed last year when Thailand entered a period of mourning after the death of Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana — wraps up Sunday with eight singles matches.
In the opening match, Taniguchi and Ishikawa birdied the par-five second for the early lead, but Hansen squared the match at the fourth. After trading wins on the sixth and seventh, Hansen's birdie at eight gave Europe the lead.
They held that lead through the 15th, but Ishikawa birdied 16 to again even the match. They halved the last two holes to split the point.
In the other three matches, none of the European pairings ever led. Jaidee and Marksaeng won three of the first four holes at the outset of their match. After Larrazabal got the Europeans within 1-down, Asia won three of the final five holes to close out the match.
Liang birdied the first and fifth. Wi birdied the sixth and Liang the seventh as the Asian took a big early lead. Dougherty and Wilson rallied to get within 1-down, but were done in by Wi's birdie on 15 and Liang's birdie on 16.
Ho birdied the fifth to give the Asian pair the lead for good in the other match. However, their lead was never bigger than 2-up. When all four players parred the 17th, the match was over.
