BANGKOK, Thailand, Sept. 14 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Asia's best players are to take on the elite of Europe in a prestigious new team tournament that will trigger Ryder Cup-style rivalry between the two continents. The Royal Trophy to be played in Bangkok, Thailand has been sanctioned by the Asian, Japan and European Tours, clearing the way for the teams to field their strongest possible line-ups.

Five-time Major winner Seve Ballesteros has been confirmed as Europe's non-playing captain.

The inaugural Royal Trophy will be held on January 5-8 at the new world class Amata Spring Country Club in Thailand.

Each team will comprise eight players, led by a non-playing captain, competing in a series of 16 matches involving foursomes, four-ball and singles.

Spanish legend Ballesteros, whose charisma and competitiveness helped turn the Ryder Cup into the most compelling viewing in world golf, hailed The Royal Trophy as a historic development for the sport.

"Team golf is something very special and incredibly exciting," he said. "Many of the great moments in my career have happened at the Ryder Cup. As a player and captain, these are truly unforgettable moments where you are competing not only for yourself, but also your teammates, your country and for the people of your continent. The feeling of pride is incredible and the tension is unimaginable."

"I'm delighted to captain the European team in this historic first edition of The Royal Trophy. It's great for me to see Europe and Asia, two continents of tremendous cultural diversity and history, coming together for this tournament."

"The Royal Trophy is a very meaningful development for our sport and I believe it will grow into one of the world's great sporting competitions."

Ballesteros' agreement to lead the European team represents a huge boost to the tournament, according to Lincoln Venancio, managing director of event promoter Entertainment Group Limited.

"The potential of The Royal Trophy is immense," said Venancio. "We want to see it become a great competition for European and Asian golfers and fans. We are delighted to have Seve leading the European challenge."

"Team golf is unique, highly competitive and generates great passion, while at the same time highlighting sportsmanship in its purest form. Seve is the epitome of all that. Without question, the European team is in great hands."

Venancio added: "Golf is growing tremendously in Asia. The Asian team will be strong and competitive and is likely to feature players from a number of the major Asian golfing nations and territories such as Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, India and, naturally, the host country Thailand."

The Asian, Japan and European Tours have underlined their support for the tournament by agreeing that six players on each team will be chosen according to each Tour's Order of Merit table and the world rankings, with the two remaining players on each side being captain's picks.

"Playing for your country is very special but qualifying to represent your continent is truly a tremendous honour," said Asian Tour chief executive Louis Martin. "Without question, our Asian team members will take the responsibility of representing this massive region very seriously and will perform to the very best of their ability. We will benefit from 'home course' advantage and the weather conditions in January in Bangkok should be perfect."

Keith Waters, Director of International Policy for The European Tour, said: "Team events like the Ryder Cup have proved to be an enormously successful and competitive competition over the past 20 years and The Royal Trophy has the scope to engender an equally compelling event played in the best traditions of the game. The European Tour is delighted to be part of this inaugural match with The 1997 European Ryder Cup Captain, Seve Ballesteros, reprising that role in Thailand."

Japan Golf Tour chairman Kosaku Shimada added: "We are delighted to support The Royal Trophy -- it is fantastic news for Asian golf. Asian players will rise to the challenge of going head to head with Europe's top golfers in a team environment and Asian fans will be treated to an extraordinary tournament played with passion and intensity."

Staging The Royal Trophy will be a major coup for the Amata Spring Country Club, said chief executive officer Andrew Yau. "The club has been developed according to our vision of building one of the best golf courses in Asia," he said."

"We are delighted to host the first-ever edition Royal Trophy and sincerely believe that fans, whether they are watching the matches live at Amata Spring or on television, will appreciate the challenge that our beautiful and testing course will provide to the greats of European and Asian golf."

The first two players to qualify for the European team will be selected according to the European Tour Order of Merit as of October 31. The first two players to qualify for the Asian team will be chosen according to the official world rankings on November 7. The eligibility process will be completed on
December 12 with the captain's picks to be announced one week later.

Ballesteros warned that his team would be primed and pumped up for the challenge. "We will have a great team representing Europe," he said. "This is our pride and competitive spirit on the line."