The first member of the European Team for the defense of the Royal Trophy arrived Bangkok yesterday. The European Tour current number two ranked player Oliver Wilson decided to travel to Thailand early in order to have the best preparation possible for the Royal Trophy.

“It is a huge honor to represent your country, let alone your Continent. I am really looking forward to the Event. I have heard it is a fantastic week and for me it is a great way to start the calendar year. I enjoy the match play format and we do not get to play it very often, so it is very special when we do;” said Wilson.

The Englishman is the first player to arrive for the third edition of the Europe versus Asia showdown and took the opportunity to make full use of the practice facilities and 7,470-yard layout at Amata Spring Country Club yesterday. This was the fist time the twenty eight year old will be representing Europe at the Royal Trophy and it was his first visit to the members-only Amata Spring golf course.

The Mansfield-native was a member of Nick Faldo’s Team for the Ryder Cup at Valhalla, having qualified on merit. He secured a foursomes win for Europe against the pair of Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim in what capped a tremendous year for highly consistent golfer. Wilson, who is perceived by many as a potential Major title and Order of Merit winner, finished second in five of the Tour’s most important events in 2008 - including the European PGA Championship and the HSBC Champions.

The five foot eleven inch professional earned over USD 2.0 million in 2008 prize money and is presently recording a ‘hard to beat’ stroke average of 67.75 per round. Making 80% of the ‘greens in regulation’, the former collegiate ‘All American’ is one of Europe’s strong weapons to clash with Naomichi ‘Joe’ Ozaki’s Asian troops. Wilson brings to the European effort not only Ryder Cup experience but also a rich familiarity with team golf which dates back to his amateur days, having led the Great Britain and Ireland team to a victory against the Americans in the 2003 Walker Cup.

“I felt it was a great honor to be selected by Seve Ballesteros and Captain Jose Maria Olazabal. I really hope my play justifies their faith in me. I learned a lot at the Ryder Cup and I hope to benefit from that experience this week.

“The main thing about my game is the drive and hunger to get better and to achieve my goals. I have been fortunate to get of to good starts the last couple of years and with this year being such a big year for the European Tour, I am very happy to be in such a good position at the Order of Merit at the moment;” added the Englishman.

When asked about the threat that the Asian Team may impose to the European Team at the Royal Trophy, Wilson said: “Well, I think it will be a lot tougher than some might imagine. Over the past two years, the change in the Asian play technique and golf swings has been immense. As a group, the Asian players are really strong. All of the members of the Asian Team have proven that they can win at the highest level.”

The Royal Trophy will be held at Amata Spring Country Club on January 9-11 starting at 11:00am each day. Four foursomes matches will be played on Friday January 9, followed by four four-ball matches on Saturday and the ‘head to head’ clash of Europeans and Asians in the eight singles on the final Sunday. The European Team is captained by two-time Masters Champion Jose Maria Olazabal while the Asian Team will be led for the second consecutive time by thirty-five tournament title winner Naomichi ‘Joe’ Ozaki of Japan. Gates will open at 9:00am daily providing an opportunity for fans to watch the European and Asian players from a short distance as they warm-up at the driving range and putting green prior to their matches.