A wicked wind provided an unpleasant greeting for competitors in the Bermuda Amateur Match Play Championships yesterday.

A field of 72 top local and overseas golfers saw scores soar during the strokeplay qualifying round at Mid Ocean Club as the tough Tucker's Town course became tougher with gusts of up to 30 knots.

In fact, the top round of the day among the men was a lofty three-over par 74, shared by Americans Dick Horne, Bill Jenks and Gunnar Bennett.

Among the 16 women taking part, former champion Lisa McGill (Griffin) had a 75, one of only two rounds in the 70s and one of only ten in double figures.

Horne, who won the 68-year-old tournament three times in the 1980s, was yesterday's medallist on retrogression.

The 56 men were cut down to 32 for the match play championship flight, which begins today. Bermuda's Tim Carr gets the number one seed as defending champion and will meet Douglas (Blip) Morris in the opening round.

Only eight of the 56 men managed to break 80. Mark Dupuy, last year's runner-up, was one of them with a 78 and will face veteran Jack Wahl today.

Another was young Bermudian Aaron James, whose 76 pits him against Barrett Lightbourn.

In other matches of note, Horne meets David Purcell, Bill Pitt plays Howard DeSilva and Blake Marshall goes against Kent Weymouth.

McGill, who won in 1992, 1993 and 1995 and was runner-up in 1996, will play Wendy Grierson in her opening match.

Another former champion, Reggie Parker (Hawes), fired an 83, setting up her first-round match with Bermuda's Juliana Jack. Bermuda's best hope, Madeline Joell, could only manage an 88 yesterday and meets Carolyn Creekmore.

Men's and ladies competition are running simultaneously for the first time in tournament history. The men's final is on Saturday, and the women's on Friday.