Asia produced a virtuoso performance to turn the tide on Japan in the Visa Dynasty Cup, dominating the Fourball matches for an overall 6 ½ - 5 ½ lead at Mission Hills Golf Club.
Leading by one point after the opening day's foursomes, Isao Aoki's Japan side got off to a flying start when Tomohiro Kondo and Takuya Taniguchi, who fired a sparkling seven birdies in 13 holes, thumped Boonchu Ruangkit and Prayad Marksaeng 6 & 5 in the opening fourball showdown.
Asian Number One Thongchai Jaidee and Mardan Mamat combined superbly to launch the Asian fightback, winning the second match against Toru Suzuki and Tetsuji Hiratsuka 3 & 1 after recovering from two down through 11 holes.
Home heroes Zhang Lian-wei and Liang Wen-chong maintained their 100 per cent record in Asia's version of The Ryder Cup, notching their fourth victory as a pair with a 2 & 1 success over veterans Hideki Kase and Ryoken Kawagishi.
With the momentum well in Asia's favour, the title holders surged further ahead with debutant Amandeep Johl producing an inspirational performance with eight birdies as his teammate Thammanoon Srirot watched in awe as the duo trounced Katsumasa Miyamoto and Hiroyuki Fujita 3 & 2.
Japan's stalwarts Shigeki Maruyama, ranked 24th in the world, and Shingo Katayama halted the Asian roll, with Maruyama and partner Keiichiro Fukabori earning a half with Angelo Que and Mo Joong-kyung. The Asian team rookies fought neck-and-neck with their superstar rivals and Que agonisingly missed a 15-foot birdie on the last hole for what could have been a glorious win.
Katayama ensured that the outcome of the Visa Dynasty Cup tomorrow remains on a sword's edge by drilling a pressure-cooker 25 feet birdie putt at the 18th hole as he and partner Takashi Kamiyama earned a well-deserved half point for Japan against Jyoti Randhawa and Thaworn Wiratchant.
Match Score: Asia 6 ½ Japan 5 ½
Saturday's Fourball Results (Asian Team first)
Boonchu Ruangkit/Prayad Marksaeng lost to
Tomohiro Kondo/Takuya Taniguchi 6 & 5
Thongchai Jaidee/Mardan Mamat bt
Toru Suzuki/Tetsuji Hiratsuka 3 & 1
Zhang Lian-wei/Liang Wen-chong bt
Hideki Kase/Ryoken Kawagishi 2 & 1
Amandeep Johl/Thammanoon Srirot vs
Katsumasa Miyamoto/Hiroyuki Fujita 3 & 2
Mo Joong-kyung/Angelo Que vs
Shigeki Maruyama /Keiichiro Fukabori All Square
Jyoti Randhawa/Thaworn Wiratchant vs
Shingo Katayama/Takashi Kamiyama All Square
Sunday's Singles Draw (Asian Team first)
9.45am: Boonchu Ruangkit vs Takuya Taniguchi
9.55am: Thaworn Wiratchant vs Tomohiro Kondo
10.05am: Amandeep Johl vs Hiroyuki Fujita
10.15am: Mo Joong-kyung vs Takashi Kamiyama
10.25am: Angelo Que vs Hideki Kase
10.35am: Thammanoon Srirot vs Ryoken Kawagishi
10.50am: Mardan Mamat vs Toru Suzuki
11.00am: Prayad Marksaeng vs Katsumasa Miyamoto
11.10am: Thongchai Jaidee vs Tetsuji Hiratsuka
11.20am: Liang Wen-chong vs Keiichiro Fukabori
11.30am: Jyoti Randhawa vs Shingo Katayama
11.40am: Zhang Lian-wei vs Shigeki Maruyama
