The Irish team leads by one at the Omega Mission Hills World Cup in China. The Irishmen have been ahead for three days straight, but their lead is now dipping.

Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell began on Saturday with a lead of three. But their Italian and Swedish competitors Edoardo and Francesco Molinari almost caught up with them, Kansas City.com reported today.

The Italians ended in second place at 25-under-par 191, sharing the position with Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson, who ended at 10-under 62. Sweden are the defending champions.

Japan and South Africa tied at fourth place, on minus 19.

The Italians birdied the first four holes. Irishman McDowell birdied the second from eight feet, but things remained close throughout the game, and over the last three holes both Irishmen missed several birdie chances.

"It is kind of looking like a three-horse race now,” McDowell said on the Sports Network. “It would have been nice to put some daylight between us and the rest of the field, but there were some great scores out there. We shot eight-under par, we left a few out there for sure, but we played nicely again. We can't complain."

The last time Ireland won the World Cup of Golf was in 1997, when Paul McGinley and Padraig Harrington took home the prize.