THOMAS Bjorn, Stephen Gallacher, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Joost Luiten have qualified to represent Europe at the inaugural EurAsia Cup presented DRB-HICOM.
Those four players join Graeme McDowell, Jamie Donaldson, Victor Dubuisson and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño as the eight automatic qualifiers for the European team, which will be captained by Jiménez, at the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club in Kuala Lumpur from March 27-29.
The Spaniard announced the second batch of four qualifiers, taken from Official World Golf Ranking, at The European Tour’s Wentworth headquarters today (Monday), just hours after Gallacher’s brilliant victory in the Dubai Desert Classic propelled the Scotsman into the world’s top 40.
Jiménez said: “I have a very nice team with the addition of these qualifiers. Thomas Björn has been playing very well for some time and particularly at the end of last year in winning the Nedbank Golf Challenge. He is right on form.
“Stephen Gallacher has just won in Dubai for the second year in a row at the Emirates so he is clearly hitting the ball very well. Then we have Joost Luiten, who beat me last year in Holland, and he is a very good player who is improving all the time. He is very consistent.
“And then there is me with half a century on my shoulders but I can still play some golf! I won at the end of last year in Hong Kong and I’m really looking forward to leading this side in the first EurAsia Cup.
“The combination of experience and the power of youth will work very well. Graeme McDowell, Thomas and I have plenty of experience from many Ryder Cups and playing all around the world for many years while the young guns bring power and fresh spirit. It’s a great mixture for any team.”
Jimenez will add two captain’s picks to complete his ten-man team to face Asia in the near future.
