Asia swept to a commanding 8-4 lead in the inaugural Phoenix Dynasty Cup, presented by VISA, after annihilating Japan in fourball better ball at Mission Hills Golf Club on Saturday.
With non-playing Asian captain Hsieh Min-nan maintaining his pairings after Friday's foursomes which ended in 3-3 tie, the home side stormed to victory in five of the six matches today to leave them needing only 4 1/2 points from 12 singles tomorrow for a historic triumph.
The complete domination left Japan skipper Isao Aoki stumped and his battered players with an uphill battle to salvage their pride.
China's number one Zhang Lian-wei, who won the fifth match with young protégé Liang Wen-chong, said that the Asian players got a huge confidence lift after seeing the early scores favouring their team.
"Our players who started later in the day got a huge boost as the early pairings started off strongly in their matches. It was really good to see the blue numbers showing up for Asia," said Zhang, who combined with Liang for a 2 & 1 win over Kiyoshi Murota and Tomohiro Kondo.
Asia's Thai connection Thammanoon Srirot and Thaworn Wiratchant were beaten 3 & 2 by Japanese veterans Tommy Nakajima and Hajime Meshiai in the opening match but the tide turned dramatically soon after.
In the subsequent five matches, Asia were never behind and drew level on the day through Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee and Prayad Marksaeng, who beat Katsumasa Miyamoto and Tohru Suzuki 2 & 1. Thongchai, the Asian PGA number one in 2001, chipped in for an eagle three on the second hole and never relinquished that early advantage.
Lin Keng-chi and Kang Wook-soon, beaten in their foursomes match yesterday, delivered the second point for Asia in equally stunning fashion when they combined superbly to produce six birdies to close out Nobuhito Sato and Yasuharu Imano 4 & 3.
Reigning Asian PGA number one Jyoti Randhawa was in blistering form as he shot eight birdies to partner Korean Charlie Wi to an easy 5 & 4 victory over Taichi Teshima and Katsunori Kuwabara. Indian duo Jeev Milkha Singh and Arjun Atwal gallantly held off Hiroyuki Fujita and Keiichiro Fukabori 2 & 1 before Zhang and Liang produced more heroics with the same margin triumph for Asia's eighth point.
A jubilant Hsieh said: "If Asia win tomorrow, it will be one big win for China. The Asian team are getting used to playing together and we are all getting along very well there is great team spirit.
"Before the tournament, people told me that the Japanese had an 80 per cent chance of winning but we now have a four point lead which gives us a big chance. I'm 80 per cent confident that we can do it tomorrow."
Randhawa was equally buoyant but warned that Asia must still finish the job in the singles. "We're in the driver's seat but the team must still get the necessary points," said Randhawa. "As we were playing the fourball format today, our players realised that we needed to play really well to be on top of things.
"Charlie and I played well again and I was aggressive and started rolling in the birdies. We didn't make any mistakes out there," said the Indian star.
Aoki conceded that it had been a frustrating day for his Japanese side, which had been tipped to give Asia a run in the first Dynasty Cup showdown.
"I felt so much stress watching the players on the course. It must have been even worse for them.
"The Asian side looked to have come up with some good combinations and it doesn't help with our players struggling to adapt on these greens. Our players need to play well on the front nine tomorrow to have a chance. I hope my players will produce their maximum potential."
Lin and Kang were delighted to repay Hsieh's faith in them as they shut out Imano and Sato, ranked second on the Japan Tour money list last season.
"We had a fantastic combination going and backed each other up. We are on course for a great victory and our win today added a smile on our captain's face," said Kang, a two-time Asian PGA Order of Merit winner.
Singh and Atwal were also determined to play their part after losing their match yesterday.
"We needed to win today as we were one of the pairings who were expected to win yesterday. It was good to show that. I was happy with my game but my putting was terrible," said Atwal, winner of last month's Carlsberg Malaysian Open.
Nakajima, who delivered Japan's only point with Meshiai, said that it was a huge blow for Japan to be trailing by four points.
"Looking at how the other matches went today, it was a bit disappointing for the team. We have to do better tomorrow," he said.
Results:
Asia 8 Japan 4
Fourball: Tommy Nakajima/Hajime Meshiai (Jpn) bt Thammanoon Srirot/Thaworn Wiratchant (Asia) 3 & 2; Thongchai Jaidee/Prayad Marksaeng (Asia) bt Katsumasa Miyamoto/Tohru Suzuki (Jpn) 2 & 1; Lin Keng-chi/Kang Wook-soon (Asia) bt Nobuhito Sato/Yasuharu Imano (Jpn) 4 & 3; Arjun Atwal/Jeev Milkha Singh (Asia) bt Hiroyuki Fujita/Keiichiro Fukabori (Jpn) 2 & 1; Zhang Lian-wei/Liang Wen-chong (Asia) bt Kiyoshi Murota/Tomohiro Kondo (Jpn) 2 & 1; Jyoti Randhawa/Charlie Wi (Asia) bt Taichi Teshima/Katsunori Kuwabara (Jpn) 5 & 4.
Sunday singles (Asian team first):
Prayad Marksaeng vs Taichi Teshima (9.45am)
Kang Wook-soon vs Tohru Suzuki (9.55am)
Jyoti Randhawa vs Keichiro Fukabori (10.05am)
Thaworn Wiratchant vs Katsunori Kuwabara (10.15am)
Charlie Wi vs Hajime Meshiai (10.25am)
Liang Wen-chong vs Yasuharu Imano (10.35am)
Lin Keng-chi vs Kiyoshi Murota (10.45am)
Thammanoon Srirot vs Hiroyuki Fujita (10.55am)
Arjun Atwal vs Tommy Nakajima (11.05am)
Thongchai Jaidee vs Tomohiro Kondo (11.15am)
Jeev Milkha Singh vs Katsumasa Miyamoto (11.25am)
Zhang Lian-wei vs Nobuhito Sato (11.35am)
