Australia tied for second after two rounds of Eisenhower Trophy

Brisbane's Harry Takis (right) and Declan O’Donovan (middle) from Avondale in Sydney each turned in rounds of 3-under 69 for a team 6-under 138 in the second round, with the latter chipping in for eagle on the Tampines Course’s par-5 closing hole.

Teammate Billy Dowling (left), from Surfers Paradise GC, recorded a non-counting 71.

“Incredibly happy… shooting that round today, 6-under for Australia has put us in a really nice position going into the last two rounds,” O’Donovan said.

“Not the best through nine holes, but I really brought something together and was fortunate to finish really well.”

In July O'Donovan won the Canadian Amateur Championship while Takis won the Singapore Open Amateur Championship.

In September Dowling ran fifth in the English Men’s Open Amateur Championship before finishing second in the Scottish Men‘s Open Championship.

O’Donovan said the team is well-placed to secure the Eisenhower Trophy.

“I think we definitely want to win. We're loving the competition, loving the pressure, and we're having a lot of fun as well. I think the three of us, Billy, Harry and I are really, really enjoying ourselves,” O'Donovan said.

Australia is tied for second place at 9-under 279 with England and France, five shots behind South Africa.

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Playing off No.10 on Thursday afternoon, SA's world amateur No.6, Christian Maas, recorded his second 6-under 66 of the week, with his first and only bogey through 36 holes occuring on the par-4 second of Tanah Merah’s Tampines Course.

Maas tallied seven birdies on the day and was helped by fellow Texas Longhorn Daniel Bennett, who carded a 3-under 69 for a team 9-under 135. Teammate Charl Barnard posted a non-counting 76.

On Thursday morning the championship sustained an 84-minute suspension due to dangerous weather.

Round 3 began today at 10:15am AEDST with a two-tee start on the Tampines Course at Tanah Merah Country Club.

Follow the players' progress via the International Golf Federation.