Golf: Ireland and Paul Cutler suffered a late collapse in the opening round of the World Amateur Team Golf championship for the Eisenhower Trophy in Buenos Aires.
Cutler, the 22-year-old Irish international from Portstewart matched or bettered par most of the way but suffered a disastrous closing stretch.
Starting at the 10th on the more difficult Olivos course, the Lytham Trophy holder and quarter-finalist in the British Amateur Championship birdied his third hole to the turn in one over 36 after back to back bogeys on 15 and 16.
A birdie on the first, his 10th, brought him back to par and following four pars he dropped a stroke at the next to go one over.
The round then unravelled at his penultimate hole when he found the tight fairways difficult to handle and made a double bogey seven before closing with a par for a 74.
Waterford-born US resident Kevin Phelan, a student at the University of North Florida, appeared to be making a reasonable debut until he had two late bogeys after an earlier double-bogey and eventually signed for a 76.
Irish champion Alan Dunbar never got going after dropping shots on three of the first four holes and he too posted a 76.
It gave Ireland a first day aggregate of 150 - with two out of three cards counting – to be in a lowly tie for 43rd place.
They were a long way behind early leaders Canada who also played the Olivos course and returned a five under 137 aggregate. France joined Canada on the 137 mark but they played the par 71 Buenos Aires layout so were seven under.
Tomorrow the Irish compete on the Buenos Aires course and must dig deep to climb the leaderboard and attempt to finish higher than joint 25th finish two years ago.