Brisk westerly winds brought about a drop both in temperatures and scoring when the qualifying stage of the West of Ireland Amateur Championship was completed at Enniscrone yesterday. None responded better than Sean McTernan of Co Sligo, who shot a sparkling, course-record 65 to lead the field on 137 - seven under par.

As it happened, McTernan's former colleague at Summerhill College, Eoin Moriarty, gained the distinction of becoming only the second player to break 70 over the two days. They were together in the team which won the Irish Schools final in 1997 before going on to be third in the international decider at Loch Lomond.

Meanwhile, the changing face of international golf was reflected in the presence of six Norwegians and five Finns, who have been sent here by their federations for six weeks to gain links experience. And the investment is already delivering a dividend.

Rather sparse rough made conditions less fearsome than they might have imagined, but the fact remained that of the four Finnish survivors, three were among the leading 10 scorers. And when the cut was made on 153, three Norwegians got through. There were actually 11 players on that figure but Arthur Pierse, twice a former winner, was one of only two survivors.

As it happened, all of the leading challengers survived, including the holder, Noel Fox. After making life difficult for himself with a 77 on Saturday, the Portmarnock international responded impressively with a 70 yesterday. And Garth McGimpsey, four times winner of the title, emphasised his enduring competitiveness with a second successive 72.

Jody Fanagan, who became the first winner of an "Enniscrone West" in 1997, seemed set to break 70 when he birdied the long 12th to go three under par for his round. A promising card was spoiled, however, by successive bogeys at the 15th, 16th and 17th.

One of the Finns, Henri Salonen, became an exemplary trail-blazer for his compatriots by reaching the fourth round last year before losing to Fox. Now 22 and playing off plus one, he shot a very impressive second round of 70 which contained four birdies. "I'm thinking of turning professional but I first want to prove myself at this level," he said.

Mikko Korhonen also has his sights on a professional career but he, too, appears to be in no rush. Perhaps the eight he ran up at the 16th might have something to do with it. "I like it when you have to struggle all the time to make pars," he said of the challenge of Enniscrone. "This will make me a better player."

McTernan, an 18-year-old student at the Sligo Institute of Technology, has already achieved much in that regard, having reduced his handicap from two to plus-one during the winter months. "The biggest improvement is in my course management," he said. "I am trying to think my way around the course and not gamble as much as I used to."

There were certainly precious few mistakes in a round which contained seven birdies and no bogeys. And significantly, he needed putts of no more than 10 feet for six of his birdies. So, easily the longest putt was a 25-footer at the last.

Having lowered the record of 66 set here by his professional coach Leslie Robinson, it emerged that the teenager is no newcomer to hot scoring. Locals recalled his Connacht Boys' title triumph of two years ago when he shot a course record 63 at Strandhill. And he is set to travel to Japan next month as one of a four-member GUI squad for the Boys' World Open.

His birdies came at the long first (wedge to 10ft), long second (sandwedge to three feet), short fifth (six iron to eight feet), par-four ninth (nine iron to 10 feet), long 12th (sandwedge to three feet), 16th (eight iron to 10 feet) and 18th, six iron to 25 feet.