World Cup of Golf: live scores, leaderboard, Round 2 tee times, Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith, teams, Australia, Melbourne, Ian Poulter

But the pair is confident that they remain in the hunt for the World Cup of Golf. The duo – like every team – battled the elements throughout Friday’s round, remarking how many spectators, some of whom had stayed in the clubhouse and surrounds, looked “dry”.

But it was certainly a day that saw Metropolitan bare its teeth.

“No chance (I’ve played in anything like that before) – I think that’s the toughest conditions I think I’ve played in in Australia, ever, for sure,” Smith said.

Leishman – who has played countless times on Melbourne’s sandbelt – admitted its condition was foreign to him as a soft weekend looms.

“I’m used to playing it very conservatively – you kind of have to go middle of the greens,” he said.

“But when it’s like this, you can almost attack a little bit more than when it’s firm. Especially in the four-ball, we’ll have to be a little bit more aggressive to make up a bit of ground.”

The Australians sit tied for eighth after a four-over day, sitting four shots behind joint leaders Belgium and Korea.

Leishman said it remained anyone’s tournament. “We only have to play good and make a few putts, and we can be tied for the lead through nine tomorrow – who knows?,” he said. “It’s only going to take a good nine holes and we’re right back in it.”

Thursday’s four-ball saw the best score turned in at 62, but Leishman said he would not be surprised if a team broke 60 on Saturday– if the wind plays to their favour.

Scores Friday after the foursomes second round of the World Cup at the par-72 Metropolitan Golf Club in Melbourne (two days of fourballs and two days of foursomes in two-man teams):