Argentinians take over at the top

Angel Cabrera and Ricardo Gonzalez demonstrated what a difference a day can make with an astonishing display at golf’s World Cup in Portugal today.

Joint last after an opening 68 the big-hitting Argentinian pair charged all the way into a two-stroke lead by recording a stunning 61 in the more difficult foursomes format.

With only one ball in play rather than two Cabrera and Gonzalez picked up four shots in an outward 32, then started for home with a hat-trick of birdies.

Two more at the 14th and 15th brought them alongside overnight leaders England - Luke Donald and David Howell played the first seven in one over – and also Sweden and Australia.

But the best was yet to come.

They were on in two at the 589-yard 17th and Cabrera, winner of the BMW Championship at Wentworth in May and world number 11, punched the air when his 22-foot eagle putt found the target.

Gonzalez was left with even a longer birdie putt at the last, yet came agonisingly close to making it for what would have been a 60.

As it was, they were home in 29 and just to underline what a round it was nobody else out on the course in the windy conditions was better than three under at that point.

Donald and Howell were round in a magical 59 on day one, but had to work hard for two opening pars on the resumption.

First Donald went long and it needed a good chip to nine feet from his partner - conqueror of Tiger Woods in Shanghai last Sunday – and good putt to keep them at 15 under.

Howell pulled his pitch to the second a fraction and found more rough, but again they got out of the hole in regulation figures and followed with four more as the expected wind and showers arrived.

Donald then missed from around three feet for a bogey at the seventh, but made amends with a tee shot to the same distance on the next.

When Howell holed they were back to 13 under and by then that was good enough to put them joint second with Swedes Henrik Stenson and Niclas Fasth.

One further back in joint fourth were Welshman Bradley Dredge and Stephen Dodd, Australia and the Netherlands.

Australians Peter Lonard and Mark Hensby were two ahead themselves after an eagle at the 566-yard third, but a double bogey seven followed on the long fifth.

Dodd and Dredge, round in a fourball 61, birdied the long third and Dredge then made a nine-footer for a two at the eighth. But Dodd missed the fairway at the next and they bogeyed.

Both Scotland and Ireland were struggling to make their presence felt again.

Stephen Gallacher and Scott Drummond resumed on seven under and in a tie for 16th. They bogeyed the first and after birdies at the next two reeled off eight pars in a row.

Paul McGinley and Padraig Harrington, winners in 1997 in America and one of the pre-tournament favourites, were alongside them on eight under after 16 holes.