Ireland improve at World Amateur

Ireland shot up the leaderboard but fell further off the pace at the halfway stage of the World Amateur Team Championship in Adelaide.

Clandeboye's Jonny Caldwell shot three under par 70 and Portstewart's Paul Culter a 72 at Royal Adelaide to move the side up ten places to tied 15th with Japan on one-under par.

But that still left the trio led by non-playing skipper Mick Burns a massive 16 shots behind co-leaders Scotland and the United States.

With the two best scores to count, World Amateur No 7 Shane Lowry was the odd man out for the second day running as he mixed an eagle and three birdies with six bogeys and a double bogey in a disappointing 76.

The side arrived in Australia with high hopes of victory after claiming European Team Championships and the Home Internationals already this season.

But Scotland stole their thunder yesterday by catching the United States at the top of the team standings on 17-under par.

Wallace Booth shot a six-under par 67 and Callum Macaulay a three-under 70 as they erased a two-shot deficit with the Americans at Royal Adelaide.

The Americans played The Grange Course, one of two tracks used this week, with Rickie Fowler shooting a five under 67 as Billy Horschel and Jamie Lovemark carding 70s.

American Walker Cup star Fowler leads the individual standings by two shots on 10-under par from Booth and Macaulay.

Caldwell the best of the Irish in 15th place on two-under with Cutler in 40th on one-over and Lowry tied 83rd on six-over.

Standings: 273 United States, Scotland; 281 New Zealand; 282 Sweden; 283 Wales; 284 Australia; 286 England, Spain, Argentina. Other: 289 Ireland.