Colin Montgomerie up for Royal Trophy test from Asia

Published on Wednesday 5 January 2011 16:08

Europe are braced for a stiff test of their mettle at this week's Royal Trophy against an Asian team billed as the best yet and eager for payback after losing in a thriller last time around.

Asia start as the underdogs against Colin Montgomerie's side, but will be buoyed by home advantage for the fifth straight time at a new venue, the Black Mountain Golf Club in the Thai resort town of Hua Hin.

Montgomerie is oozing confidence after captaining sides to Ryder Cup and Royal Trophy wins in the last year, but is braced for a tense tussle when he returns as player-captain for the second time.

"When you look at the Asian team and the strength they have on board, you can see Asia is booming in the world of golf," said Montgomerie ahead of tomorrow's start. "We'll be hard pushed. We have to give 100 per cent. We'll give everything and we look forward to defending our ground." The Scot has opted for a blend of fresh talent with and trusted stalwarts of the European game, recalling Henrik Stenson and Johan Edfors to join four newcomers in a team that boast a combined 50 European Tour titles. "That mix of youth an experience was what we had at Ryder Cup and Europe are on a roll now," added Montgomerie. "Europe has never been in a healthier state in golf. We want to preserve that record and we have a very good team."

Last year's fourth edition went right to the wire with Stenson coolly sinking his put on the 18th hole to halve his singles match with Thongchai Jaidee and earn Europe a narrow victory.

Naomichi Ozaki, a winner of 32 Japan Tour titles, is captaining Asia for a fourth time this week.