Asia rally on second day as Lahiri sparkles

India’s Anirban Lahiri made no mistake with a tense 10-footer to give Asia its second full point of the day at the EurAsia Cup presented by DRB-HICOM here on Friday.

With Lahiri, partnering Siddikur of Bangladesh, winning the last of the five foursomes, Asia rallied from 0-5 to 3-7 at the end of the second day with 10 singles matches scheduled for the final day.

Lahiri and Siddikur beat the Netherlands’ Joost Luiten and Frenchman Victor Dubuisson 1-up and Asia’s other win came from Japan Tour colleagues, Thai Prayad Marksaeng and Korea’s Kim Hyung-sung, who beat Danes Thomas Bjorn and Thorbjorn Olesen 4&3, the day’s biggest margin.

Asia’s only loss of the day came when Gaganjeet Bhullar, playing with local Nicholas Fung, was unable to hold on to a 2-up lead after eight and lost 2&1 on the 17th hole to Graeme Mcdowell and Jamie Donaldson.

In the other matches, Thongchai Jaidee and Kiradech Aphibarnrat halved the point with European skipper, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Pablo Larrazabal, who hold a 10-footer on the 18th to level the match, while Japan’s Koumei Oda and Hideto Tanihara shared the point with Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Stephen Gallacher.

Lahiri said, “I think that was the putt for the day. Thongchai (Jaidee) told me that Pablo (Larrazabal) had also putted from there and he gave me lots of clarity with the line. I’m glad I pulled it off. I’ve to thank my coach who’s here as we worked really hard on my putting,” said Lahiri, a three-time Asian Tour champion.

The duo’s battle with Luiten and Dubuisson, who finished runner-up in the recent WGC-Accenture Match Play, went down the wire to the last hole before Lahiri’s heroics at the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club.

Europe needs only three and a half points from the ten singles matches on Saturday to lift the first EurAsia Cup.