Jarryd Dillas and Will Haddrell fired a two-under par 69 in Saturday’s second round of the Bermuda Amateur Four-Ball Championships on Port Royal, to open up a five stroke advantage over the team of Mark Phillips and Jevon Roberts, who finished with 73.

The turning point in the round, and maybe the defining moment of the tournament, came over the final two holes. At the par-five 17th, Dillas made an unlikely birdie after hitting his tee shot into the water, while Phillips three-putted a short eagle chance and had to settle for par.

Then at the closing hole, Haddrell made birdie from the deep left rough, while both Phillips and Roberts made bogeys from the centre of the fairway.

The two teams will again be paired together for today’s final round, with Phillips and Roberts looking to chase down the pre-tournament favourites.

The low round of the day was turned in by the team of Gary Burnet and Andrew MacFarlane, who matched four birdies against one bogey for a three-under par 68.

In the Ladies Championship, the steady performance over the first two days has enabled the team of Ebonie Burgess and Elizabeth Parsons to extend their lead over their nearest rivals Elaine Stevens and Tracy Nash.

While a gross score of 79 on both days might not appear to be outstanding, in the challenging conditions it was sufficient to cause the remainder of the field to drop away and to maintain a comfortable lead of 13 shots going into today’s final round.