Asia ahead of Europe opponents

Yang’s team lead Royal Golf Trophy 3-1 on day one

GUANGZHOU: YE Yang's Asian team produced a dominant performance to sweep into a 3-1 lead on the opening day of the seventh edition of the Royal Trophy.

Playing with style and spirit, the power-packed Asian line-up put Jose Maria Olazabal's four-member European team to the sword over the Dragon Lake Golf Club's Asian Games Course.

While Korean Yang had reason to smile as his players lived up to the high expectations he had placed upon them in the build-up to the three-day contest, Spaniard Olazabal was left to reflect on a day of disappointment.

"It was a bad day for us. We didn't expect that start," admitted the former Ryder Cup winning captain. "Now we have to be spot on for the last two days — and that's our goal. We have to play aggressively and go for it. We do not have much room to manoeuvre."