Dovetailing that would have been the envy of a weekend four-ball swept Ireland into joint-second position, two strokes behind leaders Scotland, at the halfway stage of the 43rd World Cup here yesterday.

On this occasion Padraig Harrington showed the way with a 67 as a fresh cross-wind brushed the ocean course. Significantly, the lead is held on 16-under, only two strokes better than Sweden had shot in the opening round. "It goes to show that the course is still a good challenge," said Colin Montgomerie, after a stunning back nine of 31 in a splendid 66.

There was more than a hint of menace in Montgomerie's voice as he added: "It took us 11 years to win the Dunhill Cup and now, after 44 years, it's time Scotland put their name on this one."

Ireland, with a seven-under par 137, produced the best aggregate of the day. And the unique challenge of this format was exemplified by the eight-shot swing which the Scots gained over playing partners Spain in a dramatic homeward journey.

Then there was the position of the US, who were joint leaders with Scotland and Ireland on 15-under with only two holes remaining. From that point, however, Davis Love three-putted the short 17th for a bogey, while his partner Justin Leonard had to sink a 30-foot putt for a bogey at the last, having been unplayable in two.

Spain were actually clear leaders of the tournament on 17-under par when Ryder Cup representative Ignacio Garrido birdied the 10th, having reduced the outward journey to a dynamic 31 strokes. The plot then turned terribly wrong when his bogey at the long 11th was accompanied by a double bogey from his playing partner, Miguel Martin.

Given the physical problems of Per-Ulrik Johansson, Sweden did remarkably well to be level with Ireland at the end of play. Johansson was forced to seek hospital treatment on Thursday night for a mysterious stomach problem and with no positive help from the medics, he continued yesterday in some discomfort.

Johansson was three-over par for his round after a bogey at the short 17th, but he rallied admirably to birdie the last, where he sank a 20 footer. It was sufficient to lift what had become a dispirited challenge and give them hope for better fortunes in the third round.

Montgomerie was always going to have a major impact on the tournament and he justified those predictions with his play on the back nine. After a moderate opening 35, the big Scot sprang to life at the 545-yard 11th. There, from a position a few yards off the left side of the fairway, he faced a shot of 242 yards to the elevated green. With his considerable striking power this became no more than a two-iron shot which he left within four feet from the pin for an eagle three. He finished the round with birdies at the 16th and 18th. His playing partner, Raymond Russell, offered solid if unspectacular support, but was bitterly disappointed with a bogey at the 17th where he missed the green and chipped clumsily.

A particularly impressive aspect of the Irish challenge was how comfortably Harrington and McGinley looked in each other's company. There was the odd word of encouragement, naturally, but more often than not there seemed little need for words as they instinctively understood each other's intentions.

Harrington, who had been forced to settle for an opening 71, putted much better than he had done on Thursday, so compensating for some rather indifferent striking, tee to green. In his efforts to fade the ball, he overdid it on more than a few occasions, notably at the 13th, where a sliced drive into water led to the only bogey of his round.

His course management was invariably sound and when birdies at the third, fourth, seventh, 10th and 11th left him five-under par for the round at that stage, there was never any chance he would return those strokes to the course.

The 10th was particularly significant in that it marked the first occasion in the tournament that both players birdied the same hole. Interestingly, they did it with the same clubs and similar length putts - drive, wedge and putts of four to five feet. They also birdied the long 11th, where Harrington hit a sand wedge to 10 feet, whereas McGinley, for a second successive day, reached the green with a three-wood second shot.

After his bogey at the 13th, Harrington got the shot back with an exemplary birdie two holes later, hitting an eight-iron to five foot.

Indeed, their only slip over the closing holes was at the short 17th which McGinley bogeyed after hitting a four-iron through the green and a return pitch 15 feet past the target.

Afterwards both Irish players agreed that they had established a solid base from which to mount a serious challenge for the title over the next two days.