La Manga, Murcia, Spain: Fiona Xu made the first hole-in-one of her life and Rina Tatematsu and Nanako Inagaki produced an astonishing come-from-behind win as Asia-Pacific delivered a stirring fightback on the second morning of the Patsy Hankins Trophy.
Trailing their European Golf Association (EGA) rivals 3½-6½ overnight, the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) team picked up 3½ points in Friday’s morning foursomes. That meant they entered the afternoon fourballs with just a one-point deficit, 7-8.
Meanwhile, the APGC’s men’s team were also in inspired form winning the day two foursomes session 4½-½ to enter the afternoon fourballs with a 9½-5½ advantage overall.
On one of the finest mornings in Asia-Pacific team golf history, there were heroes at every turn. Maddison Hinson-Tolchard once more anchored the women with her third successive win – a feat emulated by her Australian male compatriots Harrison Crowe and Jack Buchanan.
In the top men’s match, Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chuan-tai and China’s Sampson Zheng Yunhe proved too strong for Swedes Albert Hansson and Tobias Jonsson, 4&3, while the Japanese duo of Taichiro Ideriha and Yuta Sugiura, thrashed 6&5 in the opening-day foursomes, avenged that loss with a 5&4 stroll over Tiger Christensen and Nicola Gerhardsen.
The remaining 1½ points for the men were a bonus, with Koreans Cho Woo-young and Jang Yu-bin and the pairing of New Zealand’s Joshua Bai and Vietnam’s Nguyen Anh Minh both staging brilliant fightbacks.
Cho and Jang were three-down through 13 but narrowed the deficit to one-hole after 17. At 18, Cho holed a four-footer for birdie after a well played bunker shot by Jang to win the hole and claim an unexpected half against the powerful English team of John Gough and Barclay Brown.
Also behind for much of their match were Bai and Anh Minh. Having been two-down on the back nine they won 16 to square the contest. The 17th was halved in pars before the Asia-Pacific sealed another point when Bai snared a 15-foot eagle putt on 18 after a fabulous pitching wedge approach from 142 yards by Anh Minh.
New Zealander Xu’s magic moment came at the par-three 17th where her four-iron tee shot from 159 metres fell into the cup. That winning ace meant Xu and Tiffany Huang Ting-hsuan clawed back to all square against Beth Coulter and Celina Rosa Sattelkau. With matching birdie-fours at the 18 the clash was halved.
At the moment Xu was celebrating her ace, in the flight ahead of her, Tatematsu and Inagaki were completing a remarkable act of escapology.
From the first hole, Thai Tatematsu and Japan’s Inagaki were on the back foot against the strong English pair of Lottie Woad and Patience Rhodes. As they approached the 16th green trailing two-down, the contest appeared to be over.
But the Asia-Pacific duo refused to concede defeat. They got up-and-down from 30 yards left of the 16th green and then watched their opponents three-putt to pull back one hole.
At the par-three 17th, Nanako holed a short par putt while the Europeans failed to get up-and-down from a greenside trap.
At the 18th, both teams overshot the green with their approaches, finding the back bunker. Hitting first, Tatematsu hit a beautifully controlled shot to two feet, while Rhodes blasted out to 15 feet from where her team-mate was unable to hole the birdie putt.
It was left to Inagaki to roll home her putt to win a third hole in succession and turn around what looked like being an Asia-Pacific loss into a priceless win.
At the top of the order, the unflappable Hinson-Tolchard teamed up against with Peirce to beat Helen Briem and Francesca Fiorellini 3&2.
The most clearcut win was provided by Koreans Kim Min-sol and Park Ye-ji who made light work of the all-Spanish pairing of Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio and Rocio Tejedo, winning 6&5.
BONALLACK TROPHY
Overall: Asia-Pacific 9½ Europe 5½
DAY TWO FOURSOMES RESULTS
Asia-Pacific 4½ Europe ½
Lin Chuan-tai and Sampson Zheng Yunhe beat Albert Hansson and Tobias Jonsson 4&3
Cho Woo-young and Jang Yu-bin halved with John Gough and Barclay Brown
Harrison Crowe and Jack Buchanan beat James Ashfield and Alex Maguire 3&2
Joshua Bai and Nguyen Anh Minh beat Michael Mjaaseth and Herman Sekne 1-up
Taichiro Ideriha and Yuta Sugiura beat Tiger Christensen and Nicola Gerhardsen 5&4
DAY ONE FOUR BALLS RESULTS
Asia-Pacific 3 Europe 2
Harrison Crowe and Jack Buchanan beat Tiger Christensen and Nicola Gerhardsen 2&1
Taichiro Ideriha and Yuta Sugiura beat John Gough and Alex Maguire 1-up
Lin Chuan-tai and Sampson Zheng Yunhe beat Luis Masaveu and Frederik Kjettrup 3&2
Joshua Bai and Nguyen Anh Minh lost to Albert Hansson and Tobias Jonsson 2&1
Cho Woo-young and Jang Yu-bin lost to Michael Mjaaseth and Herman Sekne 5&4
DAY ONE FOURSOMES RESULTS
Asia-Pacific 2 Europe 3
Harrison Crowe and Jack Buchanan beat John Gough and Barclay Brown 3&1
Joshua Bai and Mako Thompson lost to Michael Mjaaseth and Herman Sekne 5&3
Taichiro Ideriha and Yuta Sugiura lost to Albert Hansson and Tobias Jonsson 6&5
Lin Chuan-tai and Malcolm Ting lost to James Ashfield and Alex Maguire 5&4
Cho Woo-young and Jang Yu-bin beat Luis Masaveu Roncal and Frederik Kjettrup 3&2
PATSY HANKINS TROPHY
Overall: Asia-Pacific 7 Europe 8
DAY TWO FOURSOMES RESULTS
Asia-Pacific 3½ Europe 1½
Maddison Hinson-Tolchard and Caitlin Peirce beat Helen Briem and Francesca Fiorellini 3&2
Rina Tatematsu and Nanako Inagaki beat Lottie Woad and Patience Rhodes 1-up
Fiona Xu and Tiffany Huang Ting-hsuan halved with Beth Coulter and Celina Rosa Sattelkau
Elaine Widjaja and Shannon Tan lost to Kajsa Arwefjall and Meja Örtengren 2-down
Kim Min-sol and Park Ye-ji beat Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio and Rocio Tejedo 6&5
DAY ONE FOURBALLS RESULTS
Asia-Pacific 1 Europe 4
Shannon Tan and Caitlin Peirce lost to Kajsa Arwefjall and Patricie Mackova 1-down
Maddison Hinson-Tolchard and Nanako Inagaki beat Helen Briem and Savannah De Bock 1-up
Park Ye-ji and Mizuki Hashimoto lost to Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio and Francesca Fiorellini 4&3
Avani Prashanth and Fiona Xu lost to Rocio Tejedo and Meja Örtengren 5&4
Tiffany Huang Ting-hsuan and Kim Min-sol XXX Beth Coulter and Lottie Woad
DAY ONE FOURSOMES RESULTS
Asia-Pacific 2½ Europe 2½
Maddison Hinson-Tolchard and Caitlin Peirce halved with Kajsa Arwefjall and Meja Örtengren
Kim Min-sol and Park Ye-ji beat Helen Briem and Celina Rosa Sattelkau 1-up
Rina Tatematsu and Elaine Widjaja lost to Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio and Rocio Tejedo 3&2
Mizuki Hashimoto and Nanako Inagaki lost to Lottie Woad and Patience Rhodes 4&3
Fiona Xu and Tiffany Huang Ting-hsuan beat Beth Coulter and Francesca Fiorellini 3&1