Lee Westwood insisted Asia should not be despondent after suffering a Royal Trophy rout against Europe - because when they turn the tables, victory will taste even sweeter.

Westwood recalled how his only Ryder Cup defeat in five appearances – at the infamous 'Battle of Brookline' in 1999 - had left a bitter taste in his mouth. It only left him after Europe won the next match, the starting point for an unprecedented hat-trick of victories.

Westwood claimed two and a half points from his three matches in Bangkok
as Europe retained the Royal Trophy by powering to a thumping 12 1/2 – 3 1/2 victory over Asia. That stretched his remarkable unbeaten run in European colours to 13 matches, a phenomenal achievement.

He said: "My record when playing for Europe looks great, and it's something I'm proud of. But when you look back, you'll see I did not win a singles match until my fourth Ryder Cup. These things can be turned around, and that is something the Asian players must tell themselves - and then go out and make it happen.”

"There is no getting away from the fact that this was a tough defeat for Asia. But what really matters is how they react to it. When we lost in 1999 after leading by four points going into the singles, we felt incredibly low. But then we got together and talked about making sure it never happened again. We used it to spur us on, and that is what the Asian players must do.”

"We all learn from experience, and sometimes those experiences can be very bitter ones. But when you turn the tide in your favour, the feeling you get is even better, even more satisfying, because you've known the tough times as well as the good ones," said the winner of twenty six tournament titles.

Westwood said Europe's togetherness and the team spirit forged through their closeness on the European Tour would always make it daunting for any opposition to try to lower their colours.

He added: "We are all very proud of our record as a team, and whenever we get together there is a keen sense that you do not want to let anyone down, either your team-mates or our supporters. We seem to be able to pull something extra out of the bag when we needed to, and you saw that in Bangkok, especially in the singles. Darren (Clarke) came from two down to get a half against Prom Meesawat, and Henrik birdied the last to level his match against Y.E.Yang. And there were plenty more examples of us overturning Asian leads.”

"I did the same thing with four birdies in five holes to beat Toru Taniguchi, after being one down after eight. That sort of thing is mostly down to experience, but it is also about our will and our competitive instinct. We have all been in these positions before and come through them, so when we get into a tight spot we don't seem to panic. We know what we need to do - and more importantly, that we are capable of pulling it off.”

"That is something the Asian players can only learn in the heat of battle. But despite the scoreline, I thought they acquitted themselves quite well. They played some great golf at times, but this really was a very powerful team we put out. I didn't envy them, because there was a tremendous amount of pressure on them. The weight of expectation is so great when you are the home team, and it isn't easy to deal with.”

"We are the world champions if you like, and everyone would love to knock us off the pedestal. It will happen eventually I suppose, but not without us putting up a hell of a fight ! We've got the advantages of playing together regularly, knowing each other's games inside out, and knowing how we can play when the chips are down. Once the Asians have got that, they will become a formidable force in team golf, because there is no doubt they have some tremendously talented individuals."

Westwood was first out onto the course on all three days, combining with his great friend and long time partner Darren Clarke to win the opening point with a 4&3 foursomes victory over Taniguchi and S.K.Ho.

That set the trend for a superlative European effort, as they were denied
a clean sweep of the foursomes only when Jeev Milkha Singh and Y.E.Yang clawed their way to a half against Paul McGinley and Anthony Wall.

Europe were almost as dominant in the fourballs, stretching their advantage to five points at 6 1/2 - /1/2, winning the series 3-1, with the Asians again relying on a couple of halved matches to put themselves on the scoreboard.

And the rout was complete after Europe took the singles 6-2 to easily eclipse the 9-7 victory they recorded in the inaugural Royal Trophy last year.

The Asian team’s best moments were provided by two golfers from Thailand, ensuring the record crowds for an event in Asia had something to cheer about.

Prom Meesawat, at 22 easily the youngest player in the competition, played some stunning golf over the last two days. He blasted six birdies as he overshadowed his more famous countryman Thongchai Jaidee to earn a terrific half against the formidable duo of Westwood and Clarke in the fourballs.

Meesawat was again up against Clarke in the singles, and again it finished all square. The youngster fought back from three down after four holes to lead by two on the 16th tee, before Clarke summoned up a hat-trick of birdies over the finishing stretch.

That see-saw contest really got the spectators excited, and they got what they really wanted when Jaidee finally earned Asia's only win with a 2&1 success over Niclas Fasth providing a high note finish for the Asian team. But they will have to find plenty more of the inspiration shown by Meesawat and Jaidee if they are to challenge this glorious European reign next year.

The Royal Trophy Sponsors include Heineken, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), PTT, Siam Commercial Bank, Advanced Info Service (AIS) and JCB International Co., Ltd. For further Tournament information, please call +662 651 9499 or visit the official website www.TheRoyalTrophy.com. The Royal Trophy is promoted by Entertainment Group Limited and Amen Corner.