Royal Dublin’s Kennedy, who has just completed his final year at the University of Louisville, had also contributed a point in tandem with Scotland’s Calum Scott as they beat Jack Lundin and Jackson van Paris 1Up at the Old Course in a morning session of six men’s foursomes and six women’s foursomes won 7.5-4.5 by Team USA.

There was a narrow 1Up defeat for Douglas and University of Miami golfer Byrne and compatriot Kate Lanigan at the hands of Zoe Campos and Catherine Park while Ryan Griffin failed to equal his first day fourball heroics in partnership with fellow Maynooth student Lanigan. Griffin and Czech Filip Jakubcik were beaten 7&5 by US pairing Ben James and Patrick Summerhays, numbers four and five in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

Griffin and Lanigan were reunited in the afternoon but just came up short as van Paris and Mary Kate Mulcahy won 2Up.

“Gutted for Ryan and Kate,” International head coach Barry Fennelly, also the duo’s coach at Maynooth, said. “They battled back after being three down at one stage, and they got an awful lie left at 18, and they were kind of forced to lay up. But they have been fantastic, and it is all to play for tomorrow.” The sparkling form continued, however, for Byrne and Kennedy as they rallied from two down after 12 holes against James and Amanda Sambach to win their next three holes on the way to a 2Up victory.

Kennedy’s perfect drive at the par-four 13th to just seven feet was the catalyst for the comeback and Byrne said: “Me and Max always knew that we just needed to rally on at the end.

“I think 13 was the turning point. We said we just wanted momentum from anything. He put it to seven feet on 13, and I was like, this is it.

“We birdied 14 as well; I hit a good drive down there (Kennedy’s approach was to five feet), and we just picked up momentum.

“I think winning 13,14 and 15 was a massive, massive thing for us. And I think that kind of made us a bit more comfortable. Coming down the stretch we just said we weren't losing.” James and Sambach won the 16th with a par to tie the contest by a great lag putt from Kennedy sealed a winning par at 17th, followed by birdie for victory at the last.

“Some win in the end,” Kennedy said. “It was class.

“Me and Sara just ground it out all day and didn’t give them a whole lot. We gave them a couple at the start but ended up making a couple of birdies coming in and sealed the deal there at the last, it was fantastic.

“Two for two, dream team. We’re pretty outgoing people and we get along together so it’s just a good combination for good golf.

“It wasn’t easy out there. Fourball was a lot easier yesterday because I hit a couple of terrible shots and Sara was able to make some good birdies after those terrible shots but today you’ve got to be all in, every single shot.” 

Sunday’s singles get underway at 7:30am on the historic Co. Clare links and Fennelly was satisfied with his team’s effort to get them into position for the final day of the annual event having won the afternoon’s mixed foursomes 7-5, with the head coach impressed by his pairing of China’s Winyi Ding and Sweden’s Louise Rydqvist in securing the tying half-point.

Ding, the International’s highest ranked player at number six, hit his approach to eight feet with Rydqvist sinking the putt to earn the tie against Campos and David Ford.

“The energy, the commitment level has been fantastic so pretty happy,” Fennelly said. “But listen, stuff like that at the last is just fantastic. An eagle finish (from Ding and Rydqvist), you know, that's great.

“You never want to be psychologically behind, so I think this is a pretty decent result. It's so tight every day with the teams so well-matched, so we'll take it and come out fighting tomorrow.”