A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN

The third edition of the prestigious Royal Trophy has been scheduled to take place on January 9-11, 2009 at the highly exclusive Amata Spring Country Club in Bangkok, Thailand.

The unique and emotionally-charged competition played between the continents of Europe and Asia will continue to feature foursomes, four-ball and singles matches – all played in a team match-play format. The best players from Europe and Asia will compete for stewardship over the perpetual Royal Trophy – graciously donated by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand and for the pride and honor of their respective continents and people.

The Royal Trophy is the result of the legendary Seve Ballesteros’ dream of bringing the three billion people Asian continent together to compete against the masters of team golf – Europe, in a Ryder Cup format. The first two editions of the Event were staged with great success as the matches attracted record galleries and featured the highest standard of professional golf.

Over the two inaugural editions of the Royal Trophy, the five-time Major winner and all-time Ryder Cup hero Ballesteros led the European effort as Captain and counted with some of the continent’s very best players including Ryder Cup stars Darren Clarke, Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, David Howell, Robert Karlsson as well as legends of golf Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam.

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The Asian Team was led by Japan Tour Lifetime Member Massy Kuramoto in the first edition and then by 35-tournament title winner Joe Ozaki in 2007. The Asian troops to battle the Europeans have included many of Asia’s top talents including Jeev Milkha Singh and Arjun Atwal from India, Zhang Lian-wei from China, Japan’s number one player Toru Taniguchi, Korea’s Y. Yang and Thailand’s golf stars Thongchai Jaidee, Thaworn Wiratchant and Hua Hin’s own Prom Meesawat.

Ballesteros’ vision in creating the magnificent championship is to drive the growth of Asian professional golf and the popularity of the sport to a level comparable to the United Kingdom and continental Europe. “The Royal Trophy is becoming the greatest force for the further development of golf in Asia, in the same manner that the Ryder Cup played such a role for the European Continent in the 1980s and 1990s. I believe the Royal Trophy will grow into one of the world’s most important sporting competitions,” said the charismatic Spaniard.

Preparations for the staging of the Royal Trophy have already been underway for six months to ensure that the Captains, the players and the tens of thousands of fans attending the Event have the best experience possible. “We expect the 7,470-yard Amata Spring layout to be in flawless condition, the purpose-built VIP Champions Club to feature the most luxurious golf corporate hospitality in Asia and the Entertainment Village to have on offer to the fans great food, refreshments, games and the latest in golf equipment,” said Lincoln Venancio, Managing Director of Tournament owners Entertainment Group Limited.

“The atmosphere at Royal Trophy is electrifying, the quality of golf is outstanding and the team match-play format adds a very high dosage of competitive and team spirit. It is an event not to be missed,” added Venancio.
While the first players selected to represent Asia and Europe respectively are expected to be announced in the near future, it has been confirmed that Ballesteros - also known to his peers as ‘the man with the touch of an angel’ due

to his almost magical ability around the greens - will be leading the Europeans for the third consecutive time. “I have thoroughly enjoyed leading Europe in the first two editions of the Royal Trophy. I am very much looking forward to competing against the Asian Team again and I can assure the fans that we will feature a fantastic set of European players,” added the former world number one player. Leading the Asian charge for the second time will be one of the most successful players in the history of Asian golf, Japan’s Joe Ozaki - who continues to find great success as a senior player in the Champions Tour in the United States. “I have learned a lot from the experience of leading our Team against the Europeans in 2007 and I have every intention to lead our Asian continent to victory in January of 2009,” said the Japanese golfing giant.

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