Ireland makes a move in World Amateur Team Championships in Singapore
Captain Damien Coyne, John Doyle, Caolan Rafferty and Stuart Grehan as seen with the Eisenhower Trophy during practice round at Tanah Merah Country Club, in Singapore on Tuesday, 7th of October, 2025. (Copyright USGA/Steven Gibbons)
Ireland made the biggest move of the day in the World Amateur Team Championships in Singapore.
Walker Cup player Stuart Grehan posted a four-under 68 and Caolan Rafferty a 70 as. John Doyle shot a non-counting 73.
As a result, Ireland jumped 14 places to joint 14th on two under, 12 strokes behind leaders South Africa.
World No. 6 Christian Maas recorded his second six-under 66 of the week to give South Africa a five-stroke lead over Australia, France and England on 14 under.
The University of Texas senior recorded his first and only bogey through 36 holes on the par-4 second of Tanah Merah’s Tampines Course.
He tallied seven birdies on the day and was helped by his fellow Longhorn Daniel Bennett, who carded a 3-under 69 for a team 9-under 135.
Teammate Charl Barnard posted a non-counting 76.
“I don’t think I hit it as good as yesterday,” Mass said. “Well, I didn’t hit my driver as good, but [it was] almost [as] good... It’s great to see that we’re up there. Hopefully we can continue doing that.”
The trio tied for second place at 9-under 279 includes Australia, England and France. Of those three, England recorded the lowest second-round score with a seven-under 137 led by Tyler Weaver and Charlier Forster, who both represented GB&I in the 2025 Walker Cup at Cypress Point.
They posted rounds of 4-under 68 and 3-under 69, respectively. Eliot Baker, who competed alongside Weaver and Forster in the Walker Cup, carded a non-counting 72.
“Yeah, that was a really, really solid round. I didn’t have a bogey for a long time,” said Weaver, who also competed in the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club earlier this summer. “I’ve been lucky enough to represent England quite a lot, and I love it. We know we have a good enough team to go and win this, so that’s our aim.”
Australians Harry Takis and Declan O’Donovan 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 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,” said O’Donovan, who won the Canadian Amateur Championship in July. “Not the best through nine holes, but I really brought something together and was fortunate to finish really well.”
Oscar Couilleau, of France, tallied six birdies against a single bogey for a 5-under 67, and teammate Louis Anceaux held on for an even-par 72 to help the team finish 5-under for the day. Huge Le Goff, who represented France in the championship in 2023, recorded a non-counting 3-over 75.
Host country Singapore turned in an even-par 144 on Thursday, falling to T-12 after beginning the day tied fourth. Hiroshi Tai led the way once again with a 1-under 71, while Brayden Lee added a counting 1-over 73. Troy Storm carded a non-counting 77.
Quotable:
Benjamin Gorvett, England Captain: “Fantastic. They played really solid golf. We had three dropped shots between three players, plenty of birdies over there, few putts here and there that could have dropped… So, really good day for us. We're really pleased with where we’re sat in the field, looking forward to go into third round now tomorrow, and we're going to try to kick on again.”
Christian Maas, South Africa: “It’s pretty surprising that [South Africa hasn’t] done better, seeing how many great amateurs we’ve had. I feel like we've just not really stepped up once we get here… Daniel and I have played in some of the biggest amateur events around the world for the last three years, and we have a very competitive schedule at a collegiate level. So, it's just another event, and hopefully we can keep on playing and post some sort of record score.”
Declan O’Donovan, Australia: “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.”
Tyler Weaver, England: “I’ve been lucky enough to represent England quite a lot, and yeah, I love it every time. Putting on the badge is an honor, and I love it… I’ve got a lot of trust in those guys to go out and play well, so that takes a lot of pressure of me as well.”
Mason Howell, USA: "We were obviously very frustrated [with] how yesterday went. But we know we all have the game to get right back in this, and hopefully this is a small step. We still need two huge days. We know what's in front of us, and I think we know we can overcome it."
Notable:
The championship sustained a 1 hour and 24-minute suspension on Thursday morning due to dangerous weather in the area.
South Africa is seeking its first victory in the Eisenhower Trophy, and a medalist finish this week would be its first since earning silver in 1980. South Africa was the bronze medalist in 1970 and 1972.
Reigning U.S. Amateur champion Mason Howell turned in a bogey-free 68 to help the defending champion USA turn things around on day two, climbing 10 places. USA posted a team 5-under in the second round, helped by Ethan Fang, who won The Amateur Championship in June and recorded a 1-under 71. Preston Stout, who earned medalist honours in the U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club in August, carded a non-counting 72. The USA currently sits T-22 with Norway at 1-over 289.
Christian Maas, of South Africa, is the solo individual leader through 36 holes at 12 under par, four strokes ahead of Singapore’s Hiroshi Tai, a senior at Georgia Tech University who won the 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Individual Championship and became the first player representing Singapore to compete in the U.S. Open and the Masters Tournament.
Morocco made the second-largest jump on day two, rising 11 positions to T-14 with Ireland, Wales and 2022 champion Italy. Texas Tech junior Adam Bresnu led the way with a 4-under 68. Prior to becoming a Red Raider, Bresnu played for Odessa College, a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) program, where he won nine times and tallied 30 top 10 finishes in two seasons. He earned both NJCAA Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year and NJCAA Gary Player International Golfer of the Year honours in 2025.
While no country is fielding the same three players from the 2023 edition of the championship, Panama’s Omar Tejeira, Miguel Ordoñez and Raúl Carbonell competed together in 2022. Ordoñez is competing in his third WATC, and Panama currently sits 34th.
