After taking two days to complete the second round because of weather delays, first-day leaders, France, with an even-par 142, lead Denmark by one stroke and the USA by six through 36 holes of the 2010 World Amateur Team Championship in Buenos Aires.
The second round, suspended twice because of dangerous weather, was played in constant rain Friday and was completed on Saturday. The French were one of the 34 teams, in the field of 69, that completed the round the day after they had started it.
Because of the weather the championship has been reduced to 54 holes and will conclude Sunday.
The third round begins at 4 p.m. (local time) Saturday.
Leading France was 2010 Scottish Amateur champion Romain Wattel, who shot a 1-under-par 70 at Olivos Golf Club. Wattel, and will turn professional shortly after the Eisenhower Trophy and has also 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 seven 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.”
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.
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 Team Ireland Kevin Phelan signed for a 3 over par 75; Alan Dunbar finishes with 73 on one over, as did Paul Cutler on a 10 under par total along with Wales, Mexico, Hong Kong and Belgium.
