Bermuda’s appearance at the World Amateur Team Championships in Karuizawa, Japan, ended with a second limp performance and a 45th-place finish out of 67 countries today.

What began with such promise after climbing as high as joint tenth after getting to seven under par on the second day finished in tame fashion. The trio of Jarryd Dillas, Will Haddrell and Mark Phillips combined for a four-over-par 148 at the Iriyama course on the Karuizawa 72 Golf East complex after a 147 the previous day at Oshitate course.

Joint 44th overnight with South Africa, and with little prospect of falling significantly farther in the field, given their massive lead over the next team in the rankings, Bermuda approached the day with justified expectation of climbing three or four places if they hit the ground running.

In Dillas, they had a player who was under par for the tournament, while Haddrell and Phillips, in particular, had to feel they were due for a big one. But the reality was far different and all three were consigned to identical scores of 74, Dillas perhaps the most miffed after bogeying his final two holes, the 8th and 9th.

Appearing in his sixth world championships, Dillas’s late slip-ups ensured that he finished one over par for the tournament on 287 and in joint 96th place out of 200 golfers. Haddrell was joint 128th on 295 and Phillips joint 139th on 300.

Bermuda’s final tally of 579, seven over par, was a distant 45 strokes off the pace set by the United States, who became the first country to repeat as champions since the American team of 2004 completed a hat-trick of title.

“The general feeling is disappointment after another frustrating day on the greens,” Chris Brough, the non-playing captain, said. “The players all feel that they played better than their score reflects but couldn’t make the putts when they mattered.”