Golf: Bring on the rain

There is little doubt that Team Europe will struggle with the Kuala Lumpur heat more than their Asian counterparts when the inaugural EurAsia Cup tees off on Thursday.

But, while the Europeans welcomed Wednesday's thunderstorm at the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club, the rain could also help Team Asia.

"Greens are very important on any course, and the greens here are very firm," said Nicholas Fung, the only Malaysian in the 10-man Asian team.

"If the rain softens the greens, it will be an advantage for me. I'm not a long hitter, and a softer green will mean that my second shot from the fairway will not roll so much when it hits the green."

The Glenmarie course plays relatively short, but its fairways demand accuracy.

"The golf course is not very long. The game is probably from the tee, because the fairways are very narrow... and the greens are not very big. So it is very important to hit the fairways and to be able to hit those greens," said Europe captain Miguel Angel Jimenez.

The Spaniard also acknowledged the problems that his team may have in the heat, but it was Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell who said it best.

When asked what he liked about the course, he said with a smile: "I like the air conditioning in the locker room - it's nice."

But Jimenez believes that rain will do more than just bring down the temperature.

"On the golf course, probably with the rain, it's going to be a little bit softer," said the 50-year-old.

"The greens are quite hard, and it's going to be good to have it a bit softer."

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