Day 2 Report: Italy Shoots 69, Catches Ireland at the Top

A best-of-the-day 2-under par 69 of alternate shot foursomes allowed Italy's Edoardo and Francesco Molinari to catch Ireland at the top of The Omega Mission Hills World Cup Aruba Qualifier 2007.

The Irish duo of Gareth Maybin and Michael Hoey followed their brilliant 62 of the opening round with a 73 that erased their three-stroke overnight lead and established the halfway co-lead at 7-under par 135.

The surprising Guatemalans Alejandro Villavicencio and Pablo Acuña were on pace to claim the solo first, but suffered an upsetting finish of bogey at 17 and a double-bogey at 18 for a 72. Now they share the third spot along with Puerto Rico and Paraguay, two strokes behind the co-leaders.

Puerto Rico's Wilfredo Morales and Miguel Suárez made the top three by carding a 70, joining Italy as the only teams shooting under par on another windy day at the Tierra del Sol Resort, Spa & CC. Meanwhile, Paraguay relayed on Carlos Franco's experience to card a 71 that included a 48-yard sand wedge for eagle at the par-four No 5.

The solo sixth belongs to Bermuda's Dwayne Pearman and Kim Swan at 4-under par 138, while Venezuela's Miguel Martínez and Juan Berastegui hold the seventh spot one stroke further back. Closing the top eight teams at under par for the tournament are Brazil's Alexandre Rocha and Philippe Gasnier at 1-under par 141.

On their way to the top the Molinari brothers carded four birdies (holes 1, 2, 12 and 17) and two bogeys (3 and 18). "It was a good round for us. We played very steady golf, hitting fairways and greens. There were plenty of birdie chances, and our only regret was the two bogeys on holes 3 and 18. Those holes were supposed to be easy, as the wind was blowing in our favor," commented the 25-year old Francesco, by two years the youngest of the Italian duo.

After a 3-over par 39 on the front nine, the Irish were forced to fight back in order to survive. "We just didn't play our best at the start. A couple of bad tee shots made it difficult for us. We just tried to gather ourselves together and we just tried to give ourselves chances on the back, hitting fairways and greens. I had some pretty good iron shots down the stretch and Gareth had some pretty good drives. What matters is that we are still in position," said Hoey after a day of two bogeys, one double-bogey and two birdies.

Tomorrow the third round will be played under the format of best-ball, with the teams returning to today's alternate shot foursomes on Sunday's final round.

The Omega Mission Hills World Cup Aruba Qualifier 2007 awards five berths for the Omega Mission Hills World Cup, to be played in China, November 22-25. The qualifying event is conducted by the Tour de las Americas on behalf of the International Federation of PGA Tours.