Team Asia captain, Jeev Milkha Singh today hinted that he might not stick to nationalities while pairing his players to take on Europe in the second EurAsia Cup at the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club beginning on Friday.
A two-time Asian Tour number one and multiple winner in Japan and Europe, Jeev today expressed overall satisfaction, but he did give an indication that he might mix up the nationalities when it comes to pairings.
Jeev said, "I still haven't finalised it (pairings). We'll finalise it on Thursday evening.
"I'm going to mix them up, to give you an honest answer, to see how it goes. But maybe I could change my mind, I'm not 100 per cent sure, but most probably going to mix them up," added the seasoned Indian golfer.
Ryder Cup superstar Darren Clarke was also busy ironing out Europe's strategies with just two day left for the main event to begin on Friday.
Clarke said, "I didn't know who my pairings are going to be. I've thought about it long and hard this past while. I've put a lot of work in it and a lot of the team behind it. So hopefully my choice are going to be proven correct, we shall see. Barring any last-minute changes, I'm pretty set on what I'm going to do. I don't know what order I'm going to put them out, but I do know."
Jeev is convinced that a event of this kind is a big boost for golf worldwide. He said, "We watch that Europe and Asia are very close to each other, we have a lot of co-sanctioned events and we've had that for many years. And the good part is that the top players are playing with each other. They know each other's games, and what happens with that is the Asian players can build their confidence and they know that they are playing on the big stage and the world stage, and from there, they can move on and follow their dream, whether it's the European Tour or the US tour.
Clarke echoed the same feeling, saying, "Exactly what
Jeev is saying. The European Tour, we've had The Ryder Cup for a long time, and you know, certainly for a natural progression with how supportive the Asian Tour have been of The European Tour for a long, long time, and to have a tournament like this match-play tournament, which we don't have many of, it gives the Asian guys the ability to show the world how good they are.
"Looking at the team this week, they have got a very, very strong team. Match play, it's a different format for us because we don't play it too often. We played it as amateurs but not as professionals and a team event can be very, very exciting, as I'm sure you've all witnessed in past Ryder Cups and certainly the highlight of this week is trying to, as Jeev has said, highlight just how good of players we have and outside of America, as well. This is the perfect format to do that."
Most of the players from both sides had arrived by Tuesday afternoon and rest are expected tonight.
"I'm really excited about this week. I'm happy the way the teams turned out. The golf course is in excellent condition. Players are in good spirits. I think that's what we need from our players, and looking forward to this week," Jeev rounded off.
