Pablo Martin holed the winning putt in a thrilling
competition that went to the wire, giving Europe an unlikely victory over an
Asian team that needed just two-and-a-half of the eight available points to win.
Europe dominated from the start with polished performances
by all eight players as the Asians caved under pressure and failed to win a
single match, picking up two halves in a miserable day at the Black Mountain
course.
The Europeans reduced the deficit point by point in a
contest that could have gone either way and came down to two final pairings
that were all-square.
Martin played the pivotal role in the victory when his
superb chip from 25 yards landed a foot away from the pin. Jeev Milkha Singh
failed to make the necessary 12-foot putt, leaving Martin with an easy-tap-in
to finish one up and lift the trophy.
"When you see the strength of the Asian team this year,
possibly the strongest ever assembled,...for my team not to lose a game today
was remarkable," Europe player-captain Colin Montgomerie told reporters.
"It was one of the most remarkable days I have ever
been involved in. I've been part of a lot, but today beat the lot of them. To
not lose a point in eight matches against a team of that quality was fantastic.
"Everyone played their own games, didn't watch what
everyone else was doing. We started well and kept up that momentum." Peter
Hanson led the European charge with a crushing 7&6 win over a haphazard
Liang Wenchong in the opening match, clinching six birdies from the 12 holes
played to finish seven strokes up and put the holders in the driving seat.
Europe looked a totally different team from the one trounced
in Saturday's fourballs and were leading in seven of the eight pairings after
an hour of play in Hua Hin.
Late call-up Fredrik Andersson Hed was the next winner for
Europe and his eagle on the 13th gave him the vital break against Yuta Ikeda to
finish 2&1 and close the gap to two points.
South Korean youngster Noh Seung-yul was dealt a painful
blow after an impressive round when he ended up in the bunker on the 18th and
allowed Henrik Stenson, who holed Europe's winner last year, to halve their
match.
Newcomer Rhys Davies gained another crucial point after
finishing four strokes ahead of an error-prone Ryo Ishikawa, who bogeyed five
times, including the first two holes, in a dour round for the young Japanese
who had shone in the first two days.
Montgomerie held his lead after three holes to beat Kim
Kyung Tae 3&1, then Italian teenager Matteo Mannassero put Europe into
contention by finishing one up against Shunsuke Sonoda, leaving Martin to
clinch the decisive point.
"I was really lucky," Martin said of his chip on
to the green that all but sealed the win. "It was playing to the grain, it
was in the right direction, I really got lucky." The normally energetic
Asia captain Naomichi Ozaki seemed shell-shocked by the defeat and said he
would take full responsibility for a result that no one had expected.
"It wasn't going to be an easy win for us and it served
as a reminder of how hard matchplay golf can be," he said. "Anything
can happen in golf and I regret this."
