On a spectacular day on the often spectacular Southampton track, a field of top international and local pros were beaten back in the $50,000 tournament by a combination of tight fairways, unpredictable greens and shifting breezes.

All of which comes as no surprise to the handful of Island amateurs who play the Robert Trent Jones classic practically every week. Said one of them, Bermuda Match Play champion Tim Carr: "No one will ever, ever, tear this course apart and you can quote me on that.'' After yesterday, there weren't many willing to bet against him.

The best scores on the day were a pair of two-under par 69s -- by Chris Van der Velde and PJ Cowan -- and a pair of one-under 70s -- by Mike Donald and Steve Ford. Five players were tied for third at 71 while Dan Halldorson had a 72, Ken Green 73 and Bermuda champion Dwayne Pearman and defending champion Andrew Pitts 75.

And afterwards many paid grudging respect to the 6,500 yards that had just stung them.

"I like the course a lot; it's a great layout,'' said Van der Velde, who was tenth here a year ago. "I mean the 15th and 16th are probably two of the most beautiful holes you'll see in golf -- period.'' "It's just tough to score and I don't know why,'' said Pitts, who shot 34 on the front nine than ballooned to a 41 on the back, including a triple bogey seven on the 18th. "I didn't see a lot of birdies yesterday (during Wednesday's pro-am) or today.'' "Literally, if you have a great day, you're going to make four birdies, it's as simple as that,'' said Green, winner of five tournaments and $3.5 million on the PGA Tour. "It's a tough little track. You look at it and think nothing of it but you're not going to shoot well on it.'' As it turned out, four birdies did constitute a great day. Van der Velde had exactly four: On the first, seventh, 11th and 14th to go along with a bogey four on the eighth.

Cowan and Ford, both of whom competed in the PGA Tour Michelob Classic in Virginia last week, each had three, as did Donald, who won the 1995 Bermuda Open and lost in a play-off with Pitts and Billy Andrade last year.

Ironically, Ford and Cowan also had birdies on the par-five seventh while Donald had a bogey.

With an American mother and Dutch father, Van der Velde holds duel citizenship. He played on the European Tour from 1989 to 1993 before giving the US a shot, making three cuts in six PGA events. He now makes his home in Noordwijk, about 30 minutes north of Amsterdam, fashioning a nice living as Holland's number one player.

Playing last year and getting to know Port Royal "made a big difference'' yesterday, he said, to the point where he has a pretty good feeling heading into the weekend.

GOLF Port Royal offers pros tough test From Page 13 "I think my game is good enough and I'm swinging well enough,'' he said.

"It's just a matter of whether I can keep it together long enough.'' Port Royal may have something to say about that.

Most agree that keeping the ball in the fairway, getting a good line on the distance to the hole, and reading the tricky greens are the keys. All of which is easier said than done, according to Green.

"You look at (the greens) one way and they do exactly the opposite,'' he said. "You just sit there and shake your head. They baffle the hell out of you. No one's going to run the table on these things.'' But Green and Halldorson, the long-time Canadian favourite, both had a half-dozen lip-outs that, with a bit of luck, could have transformed their rounds.