Ireland sixth as France takes Eisenhower Trophy

Ireland shot the joint lowest team score of the day to finish a creditable sixth behind winners France in the World Amateur Team Championship for the Eisenhower Trophy in Argentina.

Kevin Phelan carded a level par 72 and Paul Cutler a one under 71 (Alan Dunbar’s 79 was discarded) as the boys in green finished 16 shots behind the winners on nine over par.

Johann Lopez-Lazaro and Alexander Levy both shots 72s to give France the title by  four strokes from Denmark and five from the USA on seven under par in the weather-shortened, 54-hole event at Buenos Aires Golf Club.

“It is unbelievable. It is fantastic,” said Levy, 20, who won the French Amateur in 2009. “It is a great moment.”

Romain Wattel, who shot a non-counting 74 and is the reigning Argentine Amateur champion, joined Levy as two of the three lowest individual scorers.

Ireland and the USA had the lowest team score on the final day with 143.

In the individual competition, Denamrk’s Joachim Hansen won by three shots on six under par from Levy with Wattel third and Scotland’s James Byrne tied for fourth with the likes of Peter Uihlein.

Cutler finished tied 11th in the individual standings on three over after rounds of 74, 73 and 71 with Phelan 24th on eight over (76, 75, 72) and Dunbar 57th on 13 over (76, 73, 79).