Buenos Aires, Argentina (30 October) –  After taking two days to complete its second round because of weather delays, first-round leader France, with an even-par 142, leads Denmark by one stroke and the USA by six through 36 holes of the 2010 World Amateur Team Championship.  

The second round, suspended twice because of dangerous weather, was played in constant rain Friday and was completed Saturday. The French were one of the 34 teams, in the field of 69, that completed the round the day after they started it. The championship has been reduced to 54 holes and will conclude Sunday. The third round begins at 4 p.m. (local time) Saturday.

Tsung-Yu Tsai of Chinese Taipei tees off on the 18th hole of Buenos Aires Golf Club as he completes his second round Saturday. (John Mummert/IGF)

Leading France was 2010 Scottish Amateur champion Romain Wattel, who shot a 1-under-par 70 at Olivos Golf Club. Wattel, who will turn professional shortly after the Eisenhower Trophy competition, won a European Challenge Tour event in September. His teammate, Alexander Levy, fired a 1-over- 72 in the second round and the French are at 7-under-par 279

"The last two days were very tough days to play golf because of the weather conditions,” Wattel said. “The rain and the cold on Friday and the wind on Saturday make the Olivos course very difficult to be under par.”

France led the Eisenhower Trophy through 54 holes in Malaysia in 2002 but was unable to withstand a final-round charge from the USA and finished second.  The French tied for third in 1992 in their only other medal performance.

"The target in this tournament is to be the first,” Wattel said. “We came to Argentina to win the Trophy.”

English captain Colin Edwards helps Tom Lewis read his putt as the team finished its second round at Olivos Golf Club. (John Mummert/IGF)

Denmark, at six under par 280, made a strong move in Friday’s rain at Buenos Aires Golf Club. Tied for third after the first round, the Danes pushed into second behind a 69 from Joachim Hansen, the 2010 Finnish Amateur champion, and a 72 from Lucas Bjerregaard, the 2010 European Amateur winner.

After more than an inch of rain Friday, the players faced sunny but very windy conditions as the second round resumed.

The USA advanced from tied for ninth into third place at 1-under-par 285 on the scores of David Chung (70) and Peter Uihlein (72), who were 2010 U.S. Amateur finalists. 

"It was a grind, struggle, frustrating and exciting, all wrapped into one,” said Uihlein of their rainy round on Friday.

In the top 10, the USA was followed by New Zealand, in fourth, at even par 286, Sweden (287) in fifth and Canada (288) in sixth. England, Italy and Colombia were tied for seventh at 289 and defending champion Scotland rocketed 31 places to 10th with a 4-under-par 140.

In the third round, the leading teams play Buenos Aires Golf Club and the others play Olivos Golf Club.

For complete results and third-round groupings and startingtimes, visit www.internationalgolffederation.org and click on the Golfstat icon.

Conducted by the International Golf Federation, which comprises national governing bodies of golf in more than 120 countries, the World Amateur Team Championship is a biennial international amateur competition, which is rotated among three geographic zones:  Asia-Pacific, Americas and Europe-Africa.  This year the event is hosted by the Asociación Argentina de Golf.  The teams play for the Eisenhower Trophy.

Each team has two or three players and plays 18 holes of stroke play for four days. In each round, the total of the two lowest scores by players from each team constitutes the team score for the round.  The four-day (72 holes) total is the team’s score for the championship.

Story written by Pete Kowalski