By Pete Kowalski, IGF Media Officer

Stellenbosch, South Africa (27 October) – Swedish coach Magnus Grankvist couldn’t have placed his tongue more firmly in his cheek on this second day of the 2006 World Amateur Team Championship.

With a quick look at his players before he spoke, he said: “They played slightly better.”

Slightly better, however, must be quantified because the team played in totally different conditions on the two days of the championship. It was windy on day 1 and much calmer on day 2. To wit: Sweden, which shot 6-over-par 150 on the first day, improved by 18 strokes in round two.

Oscar Floren of Sweden shot one of his team's two 66s as they move from T36th to 5th in one day. (Carl Fourie/USGA)

Based on a pair of 6-under-par 66s from Oscar Floren and Bjorn Akesson, the Swedes moved from a tie for 36th place to second (when they had finished play), brushing by the competition like the wind moved through the Cape Winelands on Thursday.

And despite bogeys on the par-3 9th hole at Stellenbosch Golf Club by Floren and Akesson, Sweden tied for the lowest single day team score in the history of the World Amateur. Their score of 12-under-par 132 tied the record score shot by the USA in the first round in 2004 in Puerto Rico.

Their mark was also the lowest score in any second round by four strokes, better than the 136 shot by the USA in 2004.

Floren’s first nine 31 also tied for the third-lowest nine-hole score in the history of the championship.

"For me this was OK,” said Floren, who plays college golf in the USA at Texas Tech University. “It might sound strange but I know I could have gone lower. This is my second World Amateur and it’s my lowest score."

"We played in some really tough conditions yesterday but both Oscar and Bjorn hit it within six feet quite a few times,” said Grankvist. “We talked about how quickly things can change and we proved that today.”

Niklas Lemke, who shot a non-counting 71, despite playing in the last grouping for his team, did not miss the fact that his teammates were making a major move.

"Today was a good day to look at the leader board as well as we played,” said Lemke, a college golfer at Arizona State University in the USA. “It gives you a boost. I peeked at the leader board and seeing us move up, motivated us.”