{{ubiquityData.prevArticle.description}}
{{ubiquityData.nextArticle.description}}
THE STARTER
It may have been a mere dress rehearsal for the bigger deal in Paris eight months from now, but Europe’s victory against Asia in the biennial EurAsia Cup no doubt fueled Ryder Cup optimism.
Captain Thomas Bjørn’s 12-man team, which figures to resemble somewhat closely the squad he’ll lead against the Americans at Le Golf National in September, came from one point down to the underdog Asians after two days of four-ball and foursomes matches in Kuala Lumpur with a roaring Sunday success. The Europeans won seven of the first eight singles matches, with 2016 Ryder Cup sensation Thomas Pieters clinching the winning point. Young English standouts Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton went undefeated, while their veteran compatriot Paul Casey was a creditable 2-1 in his return to European team competition as he eyes a Ryder Cup redux after a decade away.
It wasn’t quite Medinah, but the victory will serve as a template for Bjørn as the Europeans seek to recapture the Ryder Cup come fall.
In South Africa, Chris Paisley won his first European Tour title, the BMW SA Open, holding off home stalwart Branden Grace down the stretch. Paisley, a 31-year-old Englishman who was a member of Great Britain & Ireland’s 2009 Walker Cup team, won with his wife, Keri, caddying for him for the first time.
And strange things were afoot at the PGA Tour’s Sony Open in Hawaii, where a caddie sustained a serious head injury after collapsing in a restaurant Friday night, a false text alert warning of an incoming missile caused a brief panic Saturday morning and a strike among TV technicians affected the final-round broadcast. Amid the uncommon commotion, Patton Kizzire won the tournament, outlasting James Hahn in a six-hole playoff.
Mike Cullity
E-MAIL MIKE