Rio Grande, Puerto Rico (28 October) – Powered by 2003 Walker Cup teammates Ryan Moore and Lee Williams, the USA opened a four-stroke lead over the field after the first day of the 2004 World Amateur Team Championship at Rio Mar Country Club.

Lee Williams of the USA posted a 5-under-par 67 on the River Course to aid in his squad's four-stroke lead after Day 1.  (John Mummert/USGA)

Moore, who won two USGA titles and the Western Amateur among several other events this past season, tallied eight birdies and a bogey to shoot 7-under-par 65, the lowest round of the day and the second-lowest first-round score in championship's history. He plays collegiate golf at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and was the 2003 NCAA Division I individual champion.

Williams, who at one point was eight under par, finished at 5-under 67 to give the USA a 12-under-par total of 132. The one-day total was lowest of any team in any round, by five strokes, since the three-count-two format was adopted in 2002. Previously, this competition used a four-count-three format.

Second-place Italy, whose best finish in this competition was a tie for sixth in 164 when it was played at Olglata Golf Club in Rome, was at 136.

"I played solid and scrapped it around early,” said Moore, who is from Puyallup, Wash. “I got it going on the back side. I saw Lee on my 11th hole (No.2 on the River Course) and saw he was six under or so and I told him I was going to try to catch him.”

Between Moore and Williams, who plays collegiately at Auburn University in Alabama, the USA registered 16 birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey.

Looking for its third consecutive Eisenhower Trophy and 13th overall, the USA did not count a 2-under-par 70 from University of New Mexico All-American Spencer Levin. Levin was the low amateur at the 2004 U.S. Open, finishing in a tie for 13th overall.

"If we throw out an under par score every day, I will be very happy,” said Williams, who lives in Alexander City, Ala.

Italy, playing the Ocean Course, received a pair of 4-under-par 68s from Francesco Molinari and Matteo Del Podio to post an 8-under-par 136.

Switzerland used a 6-under 66 from Nicolas Sulzer, the second-lowest score of the day, to finish in a third-place tie with England and Spain at 7-under-par 137. Sweden and Germany shared sixth place at 138, followed by El Salvador and the Netherlands at 140 in joint eighth and Wales, Portugal, Japan and Scotland sharing 10 th place at 141. El Salvador has never finished better than 32nd in 10 previous World Amateur Team Championship appearances.

For complete results, visit www.internationalgolffederation.org and click on the Golfstat icon.

Conducted by the International Golf Federation, which comprises national governing bodies of golf in more than 100 countries, the Women's World Amateur Team Championships are a biennial international amateur competition, which is rotated among three geographic zones: Asia-Pacific, American and European-African. This year the event is hosted by the Puerto Rico Golf Association .

Each team, which has two or three players, plays 18 holes of stroke play for four days. In each round, the total of the two lowest scores by players from each team constitutes the team score for the round. The four-day (72 holes) total is the team's score for the championship.

Story written by Pete Kowalski, manager of media relations for the USGA. E-mail him with questions or comments at pkowalski@usga.org.

Rio Grande, Puerto Rico – Results of Thursday's (28 October) first round of the World Amateur Team Championship, played at Rio Mar Country Club (Ocean Course=1: par 36-36—72, 6,807 yards, 6,222 meters; River Course=2: par 36-36—72, 6,873 yards, 62,82 meters):