Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates: A nail-biting finale is in store to the 12th edition of the Bonallack Trophy and the fourth staging of the Patsy Hankins Trophy.
On a dramatic day two of the 2025 matches at Al Hamra Golf Club, fortunes – and emotions – fluctuated wildly between power-packed teams from the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation and the European Golf Association.
After more than 11 hours battling it out on the course, honours ended almost even with the men locked together at 10-10 and the Asia-Pacific women holding an 11½ -8½ advantage heading into Friday’s concluding 12 singles clashes.
For the second day in succession in the men’s Bonallack Trophy, the Asia-Pacific and Europe could not be separated. Tied 5-5 overnight, captain Rishi Narain’s Asia-Pacific side won the morning foursomes session 3-2 to go into lunch with an 8-7 lead.
But Europe struck back, taking the afternoon fourballs 3-2. Bidding to regain the title they lost at La Manga in Spain in 2023, the Europeans threatened to surge ahead. They won the first three fourballs and appeared on course for a 5-0 clean sweep.
However, Singapore’s Hiroshi Tai and Vietnam’s Nguyen Anh Minh steeled themselves to eke out a one-up success against Swede Algot Kleen and Iceland’s Arni Sveinsson.
In the final match, Enrique Dimayuga of the Philippines and Indian Kartik Singh were all-square through 15 holes with the English pairing of Charlie Forster and Dominic Clemons.
A 10-footer for birdie by Dimayuga at the par-three seventh – the 16th hole of their match – restored Asia-Pacific’s lead. The penultimate hole was halved before Dimayuga secured the point with a 25-foot putt on the ninth, their final hole. It was his ninth birdie of a roller-coaster round that also included a couple of double-bogeys.
Like Narain, the nerves of Asia-Pacific’s Patsy Hankins Trophy captain Joanne McKee were frayed by the end of a day that began with her team leading 7-3 after a dream performance on Wednesday. By winning the day two morning foursomes session 3-2, Europe reduced the deficit by one point to 9-6. So finely balanced were the afternoon fourballs that any outcome seemed possible. Ultimately they ended 2½ -2½.
With darkness having descended, Al Hamra’s floodlights were switched on full beam, creating a fabulous theatre-like atmosphere at the par-five 18th.
No fewer than four of the five matches went the distance, three finishing in halves.
In the top match, Hong Kong’s Sophie Han and China’s Zhou Shiyuan shared the spoils with Swede Louise Rydqvist and Denmark’s Emma Kaisa Bunch.
Following them, Hong Kong’s Arianna Lau showed tremendous courage to hole a knee-trembling three-footer for a half on 18 and earn a half-point for her and Thai Suvichaya Vinichaitham against Sweden’s Nora Sundberg and Dane Marie Madsen.
Behind them, Korean Jeong Min-seo and Thailand’s Eila Galitsky, the 2023 Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific champion, closed out their contest with Italians Francesca Fiorellini and Carolina Melgrati on the 17th green.
In match number four, Japan’s Mamika Shinchi and Aira Nagasawa were aiming to make it four wins from four matches this week. But they trailed against Spaniards Carolina Chacarra and Rocio Tejedo for much of the back nine.
Digging deep into their reserves of stamina, they won the 16th and 17th to claw their way back to all-square. On the 18th green, all four players were unable to capitalise on birdie opportunities as the spoils were shared.
That left the stage clear for a fittingly theatrical finale with England’s Lottie Woad holing a four-footer for a birdie in the last match out. In so doing, she secured a crucial point for the Europeans, who are seeking to defend the trophy that they won for the first time in 2023.
For Woad, number one in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), it was an especially sweet moment as victory came against Chinese Taipei’s Cindy Hsu Huai-chien and Malaysian Mirabel Ting, the world number four.
The Asia-Pacific duo had the temerity to inflict a 3&2 loss on Woad and her fellow-Englishwoman Patience Rhodes in the morning foursomes. In the afternoon, Woad was partnered by Ireland’s Beth Coulter.
OVERALL SCORES
BONALLACK TROPHY: ASIA-PACIFIC 10 EUROPE 10
PATSY HANKINS TROPHY: ASIA-PACIFIC 11.5 EUROPE 8.5
SESSION 3: PATSY HANKINS TROPHY FOURSOMES RESULTS – ASIA-PACIFIC 2 EUROPE 3
Sophie Han and Ren Yijia (Asia-Pacific) lost to Carolina Chacarra and Emma Kaisa Bunch (Europe) 1-down
Suvichaya Vinichaitham and Vivian Lu (Asia-Pacific) lost to Beth Coulter and Aine Donegan (Europe) 2-down
Jeong Min-seo and Arianna Lau (Asia-Pacific) lost to Carolina Melgrati and Marie Madsen (Europe) 5&4
Mamika Shinchi and Aira Nagasawa (Asia-Pacific) beat Francesca Fiorellini and Rocio Tejedo (Europe) 4&3
Cindy Hsu Huai-chien and Mirabel Ting (Asia-Pacific) beat Lottie Woad and Patience Rhodes (Europe) 3&2
SESSION 4: PATSY HANKINS TROPHY FOURBALLS RESULTS – ASIA-PACIFIC 2.5 EUROPE 2.5
Sophie Han and Zhou Shiyuan (Asia-Pacific) halved with Louise Rydqvist and Emma Kaisa Bunch (Europe)
Suvichaya Vinichaitham and Arianna Lau (Asia-Pacific) halved with Nora Sundberg and Marie Madsen (Europe)
Jeong Min-seo and Eila Galitsky (Asia-Pacific) beat Francesca Fiorellini and Carolina Melgrati (Europe) 2&1
Mamika Shinchi and Aira Nagasawa (Asia-Pacific) halved with Carolina Chacarra and Rocio Tejedo (Europe)
Cindy Hsu Huai-chien and Mirabel Ting (Asia-Pacific) lost to Lottie Woad and Beth Coulter (Europe) 1-down
SESSION 3: BONALLACK TROPHY FOURSOMES RESULTS – ASIA-PACIFIC 3 EUROPE 2
Thanawin Lee and Taishi Moto (Asia-Pacific) beat Filip Jakucik and Benjamin Reuter (Europe) 2-up
Joshua Bai and Zack Swanwick (Asia-Pacific) lost to Jose Luis Ballester and Pablo Ereno Perez (Europe) 2&1
Nguyen Anh Minh and Kartik Singh (Asia-Pacific) beat Algot Kleen and Arni Sveinsson (Europe) 4&2
Pichaksin Maichon and Zhou Ziqin (Asia-Pacific) beat Richard Teder and Lev Grinberg (Europe) 3&2
Hiroshi Tai and Enrique Dimayuga (Asia-Pacific) lost to Charlie Forster and Dominic Clemons (Europe) 4&2
SESSION 4: BONALLACK TROPHY FOURBALLS RESULTS – ASIA-PACIFIC 2 EUROPE 3
Rintaro Nakano and Jeffrey Wong Ngai-shen (Asia-Pacific) lost to Peer Wernicke and Tim Wiedemeyer (Europe) 2&1
Joshua Bai and Zack Swanwick (Asia-Pacific) lost to Filip Jakucik and Benjamin Reuter (Europe) 2&1
Pichaksin Maichon and Thanawin Lee (Asia-Pacific) lost to Jose Luis Ballester and Pablo Ereno Perez (Europe) 2-down
Hiroshi Tai and Nguyen Anh Minh (Asia-Pacific) beat Algot Kleen and Arni Sveinsson (Europe) 1-up
Enrique Dimayuga and Kartik Singh (Asia-Pacific) beat lost to Charlie Forster and Dominic Clemons (Europe) 1-up
