ROYAL TROPHY: European captain Seve Ballesteros was unsurprised by his team's crushing victory against Asia in the Royal Trophy.
The Europeans won five of the eight singles match-ups and lost just one to complete a 12½-3½ rout of Joe Ozaki's side, and the Spanish legend felt the quality and experience of his team were the difference between the line-ups.
"That was fantastic golf from the European side," he said. "These are Ryder Cup champions. They beat the Americans very badly, so this was not a surprise.
"The Asian team played very well, but we played much better. I think a couple of things made the difference. The Asian team did not have quite the experience that the Europeans had and our side played unbelievable golf."
Ballesteros's eight-man team boasted five of the side that hammered the Americans at the K Club and needed just one and a half points on the third and final day to retain the Royal Trophy and two to win it again outright after last year's 9-7 result.
Lee Westwood put the first points on the board with a 4 and 3 win over Toru Taniguchi. Westwood capitalised on a run of four birdies in five holes after the turn, a sequence that ended his Japanese opponent's resistance.
Paul McGinley then went three up with three to play in
his match with Thaworn Wiratchant to virtually guarantee Europe's retention of the title, but it was Ryder Cup hero Darren Clarke who actually put the half point required on the scoreboard with his draw with Prom Meesawat.
Ozaki was disconsolate after his team's defeat, which saw the Asians comprehensively beaten in all three days of the event, with Jaidee's win in the singles their only victory of the competition.
"I expected that the game would be much closer, but this is my first experience of being a captain at such an event and I want to take full responsibility for this loss," said Jaidee.
JOBURG OPEN: A late flurry from Argentina's Ariel Canete was enough to seal victory in the inaugural Joburg Open.
Canete was level with South African Andrew McLardy on 17 under with two holes to play, but a birdie, birdie finish claimed the title for the Latin American.
McLardy started off badly by dropping a shot on the first hole of the final round, but immediately bounced back with some excellent approach shots to birdie five, seven and nine and turn on 16 under.
He then added two birdies and a dropped shot on a tough back nine before parring the last three holes to post the challenge.
David Higgins had a weekend to forget, firing a one-over-par 72 on Saturday and then crashing to a four-over 75 yesterday, including two double bogeys, to slip down the field to a share of 67th place. That was worth €2,100.
US TOUR: Charles Howell earned the third-round lead at the Sony Open in Hawaii on Saturday after carding a five-under-par 65.
Howell has made a habit of close calls on the PGA Tour, eight times finishing runner-up, with his lone victory coming back in 2002.
But the 27-year-old stormed home with four birdies in the final six holes in a moderate breeze at Waialae Country Club.
Birdies at the final two holes left Howell at 13-under 197, one stroke ahead of Luke Donald (69) and two in front of halfway leader Paul Goydos (70), with Ted Purdy (66) and Steve Stricker (67) four behind.
Sixteen-year-old Tadd Fujikawa, who on Friday became the second youngest player to make a cut on the PGA Tour, continued his golden week, shooting 66 to vault into a tie for eighth, six shots off the pace.
Meanwhile, Michelle Wie produced a mediocre second round to miss the cut, shooting 76 to finish at 14-over 154.
It is the fourth successive men's event the 17-year-old has finished near last.
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