Scotland's Gavin Dear carded one of just three sub-par rounds to snatch a one-stroke lead entering the final 36 holes of the Irish Amateur Open at a windy Royal Dublin.

The 24-year old from Murrayshall, who was a member of the three-man Scotland side that captured the World Amateur Team Championship in Australia last November, fired a three-under par 69 to lead by a stroke on two-over par 146 from Knock's Nicky Grant, who also shot a 69.

German international Philipp Westermann is alone in third place on four-over par 148 after carding a brilliant 70 in the worst of the wind early in the day.

Royal Dublin's Walker Cup panellist Niall Kearney added a 74 to his opening 75 to lie just three strokes off the pace alongside Scotland's Wallace Booth (73) on five-over par 149.

Overnight leader Farren Keenan of England is five behind alongside the Island's Robert McCarthy and Finn Toni Hakula on 151 after a 77.

Ireland's leading amateur, Esker Hills’ Shane Lowry, is nine strokes off the pace on 11-over par after a second round 76.

Ranked 16th in the world, Lowry made it with three shots to spare as the axe fell on 14-over par 158 with Castletroy's Stephen Moloney and Finn Mari Veijalainen eliminated on count back.

Irish Amateur Open Chamionship, the Royal Dublin (Par 72). 

After 36 Holes:

146: G Dear (Scot) 77 69

147: N Grant (Knock) 78 69

148: P Westermann (Ger) 78 70

149: W Booth (Scot) 76 73, N Kearney (The Royal Dublin) 75 74

151: T Hakula (Fin) 77 74, R McCarthy (The Island) 77 74, F Keenan (Eng) 74 77

152: M Thistleton (Eng) 79 73, P Cutler (Portstewart) 78 74, R Leonard (Banbridge) 77 75

153: D Lernihan (Castle) 78 75, S Hutsby (Eng) 78 75, D Whitnell (Eng) 78 75

154: L Goddard (Eng) 81 73, P Purdy (Shandon Park) 79 75, A Runcie (Wal) 78 76

155: C Curley (Newlands) 81 74, E Arthurs (Forrest Little) 81 74, R Kellett (Scot) 80 75, S Borrowman (Scot) 80 75, S Lowry (Esker Hills) 79 76, P Betty (Scot) 76 79

156: S Einhaus (Ger) 82 74, S Hodgson (Eng) 80 76, M Durcan (Co. Sligo) 80 76, H Satama (Fin) 80 76, J Fox (Portmarnock) 75 81

157: D Coyle (Co. Louth) 83 74, G McDermott (Co. Sligo) 82 75, A Dunbar (Rathmore) 80 77, R Prophet (Eng) 79 78, B Walton (The Island) 79 78, J Monaghan (The Island) 78 79

158: L Lennox (Moyola Park) 82 76, G McGrane (The Royal Dublin) 82 76, M Glauert (Ger) 82 76, J Ross (Scot) 80 78, A Hogan (Newlands) 80 78

Non-qualifiers:

158: S Moloney (Castletroy) 78 80, M Veijalainen (Fin) 75 83

159: M Violas (Por) 85 74, P O'Hara (Scot) 85 74, P Figueiredo (Por) 85 74, P McLean (Scot) 82 77, S Brown (Eng) 82 77, C Doran (Banbridge) 81 78, M Rivard (Canada) 81 78, G Paterson (Scot) 80 79, D Ruddy (Thurles) 79 80, K McNicoll (Scot) 79 80, R Laino (Eng) 78 81

160: G Yates (Scot) 84 76, C Robb (Scot) 83 77, J Carlota (Por) 82 78, J Morris (Rosslare) 82 78, C Durnian (Eng) 82 78, I Brennan (Greenore) 82 78, C Drumm (Rosslare) 82 78, R McNamara (Headfort) 79 81, M Bookless (Scot) 79 81, R Durnin (Laytown & Bettystown) 79 81, B Anderson (Co. Sligo) 78 82

161: T McGowan (Strandhill) 84 77, D O'Donovan (Muskerry) 83 78, G McGee (Malone) 82 79, L Brady (The Royal Dublin) 79 82

162: K McDonagh (Athlone) 84 78, P Murray (Limerick) 84 78, S Binning (Scot) 84 78, C O'Malley (Westport) 83 79, S McEwan (Scot) 81 81, M Buggy (Castlecomer) 81 81, R Cannon (Laytown & Bettystown) 80 82

163: T Rodrigues (Por) 86 77, M Brett (Portmarnock) 85 78, T Fay (Rush) 84 79, D Murphy (Portarlington) 82 81

164: J Jóia (Por) 87 77, M Downes (Eng) 85 79, B Reiter (Aut) 82 82, T Dogil (Ger) 82 82, G Dillon (The Heath) 80 84, T Pulkkanen (Fin) 79 85

165: P Dunne (Greystones) 84 81, G Lawlor (Newbridge) 82 83, T O' Flynn (Fota Island) 81 84, J McGinn (Laytown & Bettystown) 80 85, M Cunningham (Scot) 79 86

166: C Schroder (Ger) 90 76, R Cronheim (USA) 88 78, H Bacher (Aut) 84 82, C Wilson (USA) 82 84, P Shields (Scot) 82 84, T Beaumont (Eng) 80 86

167: O Sharpe (Eng) 86 81, S Wolters (Ger) 86 81, O Mikkola (Fin) 83 84, M Hammond (Moyola Park) 82 85

168: A Dooley (Glasson) 88 80, R McGee (Ireland) 86 82

169: K Nicol (Scot) 89 80, G Dunne (Seapoint) 88 81, C Thomson (Scot) 83 86, R Bridges (Stackstown) 83 86

170: J Hendrick (Scot) 88 82, A Kirstein (Ger) 83 87, P Croonquist (USA) 81 89

171: N Woods (East Clare) 91 80, K Samooja (Fin) 87 84

173: F Illouz (France) 89 84, G O'Connor-Brooks (USA) 86 87

174: M Reardon (USA) 86 88

175: M Aurnhammer (Ger) 89 86, A Llorente (Col) 88 87, B Campbell (Malone) 86 89

178: G Perne (Slo) 90 88

DQ:  E Kennedy (Eng) 85 DQ, D Morgan (Mullingar) 82 DQ

Tee-times (Rd 3/Rd 4)
(7:30/12:30) Hogan, Ross, Glauert;
(7:39/12:39) McGrane, Lennox, Monaghan;
(7:48/12:48) Walton, Prophet, Dunbar;
(7:57/12:57) McDermott, Coyle, Fox;
(8:06/13:06) Satama, Durcan, Hodgson;
(8:15/13:15) Einhaus, Betty, Lowry;
(8:24/13:24) Borrowman, Kellett, Arthurs;
(8:33/13:33) Curley, Runcie, Purdy;
(8:42/13:42) Goddard, Whitnell, Hutsby;
(8:51/13:51) Lernihan, Leonard, Cutler;
(9:00/14:00) Thistleton, Keenan, McCarthy;
(9:09/14:09) Hakula, Kearney, Booth;
(9:18/14:18) Westermann, Grant, Dear.