Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates: The Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) retained the Bonallack Trophy and reclaimed the Patsy Hankins Trophy on a red-letter day for golf in the region.

On a remarkable day of high-quality golf and high drama at Al Hamra Golf Club, captain Rishi Narain’s Bonallack Trophy side emerged triumphant by the narrowest of margins.

With Asia-Pacific claiming 6.5 points from the 12 singles, the match ended 16.5-15.5 in their favour. 

It was more clearcut in the Patsy Hankins Trophy where captain Joanne McKee’s girls turned on the style, winning eight and halving one of the singles encounters to score an emphatic 20-12 success overall.

“What an incredible effort from everyone involved. Congratulations to the players, the captains and their support teams. They should be proud of their achievements,” said Taimur Hassan Amin, Chairman of the APGC.

It was a day of multiple magical moments, including holes-in-one for Japan’s Mamika Shinchi and Dane Marie Madsen and a majestic five-wood approach into the par-five 18th green by Eila Galitsky, who set the tone for the day by claiming the prized scalp of England’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) number one Lottie Woad in the opening singles encounter.

Leading 11½-8½ overnight, the Asia-Pacific girls came out with all guns blazing, never giving their opponents a chance of staging a comeback. Astonishingly, the Asia-Pacific won the first seven matches out – Galitsky, Zhou Shiyuan, Mirabel Ting, Ren Jiyia, Vivian Lu, Jung Min-seo and Suvichaya Vinichaitham.

“It was just phenomenal,” said McKee, who lived up to her promise of jumping into the Arabian Gulf if her team triumphed. She was followed into the water skirting the 18th hole at Al Hamra by her assistant captains and all 12 of her players.

Narain and his team were not shy in replicating the celebration when their victory was confirmed some 90 minutes after the girls had clinched their win.

As had been the case at La Manga in 2023, the Bonallack Trophy went down to the wire. Locked at 10-10 heading into the singles, fortunes fluctuated throughout the day with punches and counter-punches being thrown.

First blood went to the Europeans with WAGR number five Jose Luis Ballester of Spain swatting aside Singapore’s Hiroshi Tai 5&4 in the top match. In so doing he completed a 100 per cent record this week, winning all five of his matches.

Pablo Ereno Perez, his partner in crime in the foursomes and fourballs on Wednesday and Thursday, was held to a half-point by Taishi Moto. The Japanese player appeared down and out when he trailed by three holes as the pair headed to the 16th tee. But Moto won the 16th and 17th and then completed an incredible act of escapology by taking the 18th with a bogey-six to deny his opponent victory and provide a huge lift for his team-mates playing behind him on the course. 

In match number three, China’s Zhou Ziqin brushed aside Swede Algot Kleen 6&4, the largest winning margin of the day.

But it was Europe who regained the initiative when Benjamin Reuter and Arni Sveinsson overcame Thai Thanawin Lee and Indian Kartik Singh respectively, and Czech Republic’s Filip Jakucik halved with New Zealand’s Joshua Bai.

The pendulum swung again in favour of the Asia-Pacific when New Zealand’s Zack Swanwick, Enrique Dimayuga of the Philippines and Japan’s Rintaro Nakano all won handsomely.

With just two matches still on the course, the outcome remained up in the air.

While Vietnam’s Nguyen Anh Minh and Estonian Richard Teder were making their way down the 18th all square, Thai Phichaksin Maichon was one-up on England’s Charlie Forster after 16.

As Anh Min and Teder were conceding short par putts on the home hole and settling for a half, news filtered back that Phichaksin had triumphed on the 17th green. His 2&1 win confirmed Asia-Pacific’s retention of the Bonallack Trophy and sparked wild scenes of celebration among the Asia-Pacific contingent.

*Al Hamra Golf Club and the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation are members of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.