Seve Ballestetros is even more determined to be back for next year's Royal Trophy, after seeing Europe slide to a first defeat at the hands of Asia.

Seve greeted Asia's emphatic 10-6 victory in Bangkok with a mixture of disappointment and pride, according to his nephew, Ivan Ballesteros. As a Ryder Cup legend and the man whose flamboyant play and boundless charisma raised European golf to a new level, Seve would not have enjoyed seeing the team he twice captained to Royal Trophy victories on the receiving end of a beating.

But the Spanish great, who handed over the captaincy this year to Jose Maria Olazabal while he focused on his recovery from brain surgery, was also the driving force behind the creation of the annual clash between Asia and Europe. So he would have drawn some satisfaction from seeing his
prediction that the Royal Trophy would give Asian golf a massive boost - just as the Ryder Cup did for Europe - move closer to reality.

Ivan Ballesteros commented: "Of course Seve is European to the core. He will always be associated with great European victories in the Ryder Cup, as well as his individual triumphs. So any European defeat hurts.

"But I think a small part of him would have felt a glow of pride that his theory about what the Royal Trophy could do for Asian golf was starting to come true.

"That is something he has spoken about many times, but when Europe scored a runaway victory in the 2007 Royal Trophy people were perhaps beginning to doubt him. Now we have clear proof of the progress Asian golf is making. Their richly-deserved victory has made the competition a
much more level playing field.

"I spoke to Seve a few times during the tournament, and of course he was watching it on television. He feels the Asian players should be congratulated for their outstanding play. But he also said the result made him even more determined to overcome his health problems in time to be back here next year, to try to win the Royal Trophy back.

"He is working hard to get stronger. He is walking every day, and doing exactly what the doctors tell him - which is not always easy, because Seve has always been a man who wants to make things happen quickly. Now, he knows he has to be patient.

"He has been touched by the many messages of support and good luck I have been asked to pass on to him. It seems like the whole golfing world is willing him to get better and to return to golf."

Seve would also have enjoyed the record breaking crowds - more than 40,000 spectators attended the three days' play at Amata Spring Country Club - and the massive television coverage generated by the event.

That was undoubtedly partly down to the presence of Japanese wonder boy Ryo Ishikawa. In Asia, the 17 year old star is as much of a magnet for fans and photographers as David Beckham, or his idol, Tiger Woods.

But the raised profile can also be attributed to the fact that Asia fielded easily its strongest team so far, and it was clear from the moment Ishikawa hit the first ball for them in Friday's Foursomes that
they were a force to be reckoned with.

It was game on as they took that session 3-1, and they did even better in the Fourballs by restricting Europe to just a half a point. Even though Asia lost the singles 4 1/2 - 3 1/2, there was never any doubt that they would secure the two points they needed for an historic first victory.

When Toru Taniguchi holed the winning putt, completing a record-breaking 7&6 thrashing of Swedish Ryder Cup player Niclas Fasth, it seemed the perfect time to recall Seve's visionary words from the first Royal Trophy in 2006.

He said. "The Royal Trophy has a great future ahead. I feel the Royal Trophy will change the face of Asian Golf and help to make it much stronger, just as the Ryder Cup did for Europe".

How right he was. We have a real contest on our hands now - roll on 2010.