Defending champions Europe stormed to an emphatic Royal Trophy victory after the team registered five victories in the eight singles matches against Asia at the Amata Springs Country Club today.
Dominating the Ryder Cup-style match play event from the opening day, the visitors took six of the eight points available in the singles, with their 12 1/2 - 3 1/2 triumph ensuring the trophy went back to Europe for a second successive year.
Europe started the day with a 6 1/2 - 1 1/2 lead and the contest was decided after the first two matches, with a 4&3 victory from Lee Westwood and a half from Darren Clarke giving Seve Ballesteros's team an 8-2 lead with six ties remaining.
Ballesteros said the quality of his team's performance showed why Europe were the dominant force in team golf.
"We really showed our potential over the last three days, everyone played fantastic," the Spaniard said.
"The Asian team didn't play badly. Europe played unbelievable golf -- that's why they beat the Americans (at the Ryder Cup)."
Ballesteros, who captained the team in the inaugural contest last year, added: "The Asian team must be very proud of what they did, but the European team was just so much better."
Westwood trailed for much of the front nine against Japan's Toru Taniguchi but birdies on the 10th, 11th, 13th and 14th holes helped the Englishmen continue his unbeaten run on the European team.
"That's 13 matches in a row for me representing Europe without losing -- there's nothing unlucky about 13 for me," he said.
"You would never have thought it would have been such a convincing victory when we walked away from the eighth with Toru still one up."
Ireland's Darren Clarke salvaged a half point from his match with in-form Thai Prom Meesawat after giving up a three-shot lead.
The Ulsterman was two ahead at the turn but Prom closed the gap with birdies on the 10th and 11th, then went ahead with another birdie on the par-four 13th hole before stretching his lead to two holes with three to play.
However, Clarke battled back to ensure Europe retained the cup by birdying the 16th and 18th to share the point with his 22-year-old opponent.
Dubliner Paul McGinley made four successive birdies after the ninth hole in his 2&1 win over Thaworn Wiratchant, while Johan Edfors opened up a three-shot lead at the 12th before beating SK Ho 3&2 as Europe added more points to their total.
Asia picked up their second half of the day after Sweden's Henrik Stenson bogeyed the 12th hole and doubled bogeyed the par-four 13th to surrender a three-stroke lead to YE Yang.
The South Korean made three straight birdies on the back nine to go one ahead before Stenson's magnificent approach at the 18th hole set up a match-squaring birdie.
Sweden's Robert Karlsson made six birdies for a convincing 3&2 win over Asian number one Jeev Milkha Singh.
Anthony Wall's five birdies to Tetsuji Hiratsuka four bogeys helped secure a 4&2 win, while Thongchai Jaidee notched up Asia's only victory of the three-day contest, with a 2&1 win over Swede Niclas Fasth. PA
