In-form Welshman Jamie Donaldson believes his preparations for Gleneagles and The Ryder Cup will begin this week at Glenmarie Golf and Country Club and the inaugural EurAsia Cup presented by DRB-HICOM.
“My golf is in great shape at the moment – finishing as runner-up in Doral at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship two weeks ago has given me a lot of confidence and I always enjoy playing golf in Asia," said Donaldson.
"The public are always friendly and I like competing in the warmth. I am excited by being a member of Team Europe taking on Team Asia."
The current World Number 27 will use this week’s tournament as preparation for this autumn’s Ryder Cup battle with the United States at Gleneagles and is a big fan of match play golf.
“This week is ideal preparation for the Ryder Cup," he continued. "The EurAsia Cup is the Ryder Cup of the East, it is set to be a great tournament and it’s definitely great practice for what lies ahead in September.
“My favourite aspect of match play golf is definitely the support from spectators. The crowds are always that bit different for match play as they usually have a preference who they’re rooting for; it’s great when people are calling for you and your team, it really spurs you on.”
The 38 year old, who qualified for the team through The Race to Dubai, is part of a strong European side captained by Spanish great Miguel Angel Jiménez who will take on Team Asia, captained by Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee, the only man to win three Asian Tour Order of Merit titles.
However, the current top European Tour earner says with such a vast array of talent available to Jiménez he has no preferential playing partners.
He said: “Team Europe is certainly strong on paper – look at what Victor Dubuisson did at the WGC- Accenture Match Play and Pablo Larrazábal shot a 67 in the final round in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship to hold off Rory McIlroy.
"Stephen Gallacher won the Dubai Desert Classic title and then there’s Ryder Cup legend Graeme McDowell - it’s an exciting team!
“I really don’t mind who I’m partnered with, I’m really happy with the look of our team and importantly it is not dominated by any country, which is always good for Europe and the game.”
