The fifth edition of the Royal Trophy golf championship played between the continents of Europe and Asia has been scheduled to take place on 7th-9th January 2011 at Black Mountain Golf Club in the coastal city of Hua Hin in the Kingdom of Thailand.
The prestigious and highly competitive team match-play continental Championship will feature eight players and a captain representing the Asian and European continents respectively in a series of sixteen foursomes, four-ball and singles matches.
The Royal Trophy was created by the legendary five-time Major winner Severiano Ballesteros with the intention of extending to Asian golf the same growth impetus the Ryder Cup delivered for Europe in the 1980s and 1990s. The Principal Award for the winning continent in each year is stewardship of the perpetual sixteen-kilogram solid-silver Royal Trophy which was graciously donated by His Majesty the King of Thailand.
Led by Seve Ballesteros himself as Captain and featuring some of Europe’s masters of team golf such as Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam, Henrik Stenson, Robert Karlsson, Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley and Graeme McDowell; Europe prevailed in the Championship’s inaugural two encounters.
In the third edition of the Royal Trophy, Asian sport sealed a colossal conquest with Asian Team Captain Naomichi ‘Joe’ Ozaki leading a powerful team which included Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee, China’s Liang Wen-Chong and Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa to prevail over the Europeans. The tremendous victory was earned with the rapturous support of over 40,000 passionate spectators and established Asia as a significant contender in world golf.
The fourth edition of the Royal Trophy delivered great sporting drama.
Asia prevailed in the first day foursomes but Europe stormed back to overtake the Asian Team in the four-ball competition and start the final day singles leading by a narrow one point margin. European Team Captain Colin Montgomerie’s men battled for almost six hours on the final day of singles and in the end it came down to the very final match between Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson.
Thongchai birdied the seventeenth hole to edge ahead. But on a testing eighteenth Thongchai’s par putt would end up less than an inch short while Stenson holed a pressure putt to halve the match and capture the victory for the Europeans.
“I am delighted that the fifth edition of the Royal Trophy will take place on 7-9 January 2011 at Black Mountain Golf Club in Hua Hin on the Gulf of Thailand. The Royal Trophy is developing into one of the world’s great sporting competitions and I wish it continues to grow for many years to come;” said Seve Ballesteros.
“The fourth edition of the Royal Trophy was fantastic with Europe and Asia competing all the way to the final hole of the final match. The Royal Trophy is the only sporting event which brings Asia together as one and the competitive spirit and sportsmanship demonstrated by the captains and players at the conclusion of the fourth edition was something very special. The Royal Trophy is becoming the greatest force for the further development of professional golf in Asia;” added the two-time Masters and three-time Open Championship winner.
“I am confident that Black Mountain Golf Club will be great hosts for the fifth edition of the Championship and that the European and Asian Teams will deliver spectacular golf and a great Match;” concluded the European golfing legend.
Located in the outskirts of the old-charmed coastal resort town of Hua Hin, Black Mountain Golf Club’s ultra-luxurious championship golf course is set amongst huge valleys surrounded by jutting mountains ranges. Featuring masterfully crafted fairways and greens; the Black Mountain layout promises to provide a serious challenge to the European and Asian golf elite.
“Black Mountain is extremely pleased to be the Host Venue for the fifth edition of the Royal Trophy. We are looking forward to hosting the European and Asian Team Captains and players as well as all of the spectators attending the Royal Trophy. We are truly honored and will strive to make the Championship a great experience for all. We are fully committed to make the fifth edition of the Royal Trophy the most successful to date;” said Harald Elisson, General Manager of Black Mountain Golf Club.
Home to the Klai Kangwon Royal Palace built in 1928 by King Rama VII, Hua Hin’s five-mile-long beautiful powdery sand beach front has attracted Siam’s nobility since the 1920s. Today, the serene Thai riviera features the highest density of world class golf courses anywhere in Thailand and some of the world’s most renowned resorts, boutique hotels and destination spas.
“We are very much looking forward to the fifth edition of the Royal Trophy to be played at Black Mountain Golf Club. The Royal Trophy continues to grow at a very strong pace in each edition and it certainly has a very bright future. We look forward to a great cooperation with Black Mountain Golf Club and to another great Match between Europe and Asia;” said Ivan Ballesteros, member of Royal Trophy executive board.
