Buenos Aires, Argentina (28 October) –  France, bolstered by Alexander Levy and Romain Wattel, built a two-stroke lead over Canada at 7-under-par 137 Thursday in the first round of the 2010 World Amateur Team Championship.

Levy shot a 4-under-68 and Wattel fired a 3-under-69 at the par-72 Buenos Aires Golf Club. The French, who finished tied for fourth at the 2008 Eisenhower Trophy competition, hold the lead at the end of a round of the World Amateur for the first time since the third round in 2002 in Malaysia. They finished second to the USA that year.

"They did their job very well because they followed the strategy and focused on each shot till the end,” said French captain Maitena Delamontagne. “We have to stay focused (Friday) to watch our position.”

Joachim Hansen's 67 helped Denmark to a share of third place in the first round at Olivos Golf Club. (John Mummert/IGF)

Denmark, with a 67 from Joachim Hansen, (139 at Olivos Golf Club) and Sweden and England (141 at Buenos Aires Golf Club) shared third place at three under par. They were followed by Colombia and Australia tied for sixth place at one under and New Zealand in eighth at even par.  Four teams, the USA, Netherlands, Puerto Rico and the People’s Republic of China, were in ninth position at one over. The Argentines were tied for 26th at five over. Defending champion Scotland was tied for 42nd.

Levy, who won the 2009 French Amateur, logged seven birdies versus one bogey and one double bogey. Meanwhile, Wattel, who won the 2009 Argentine Amateur at Buenos Aires Golf Club in late November over Ross Kellett of Scotland, had four birdies against one bogey.

Wattel, who plans to turn professional shortly after the championship, won a European Challenge Tour event (Allianz Europen Strasbourg in La Walentzau, France) on Sept. 5. He shot a final-round 67 to overcome a four-stroke deficit and win by three strokes. In 2010, he also won the Scottish Amateur.

"I knew this course because I have played it before,” Wattel said. “Although each time you play it is a new round. It is a great moment for me. I won the Allianz a few weeks ago. Anyway, this is a different tournament and I have to be focus on it, trying to do a good job every round."

For second-place Canada, Eugene Wong fired a 67 and Albin Choi added a 70 for a 5-under-par total of 137 at the par-71 Olivos Golf Club.  Wong, who plays for the University of Oregon and won the 2010 Jack Nicklaus Award as the top college player in the USA, made four birdies and an eagle against two bogeys.

"I just wanted to keep the ball in play and not get too aggressive,” Wong said. “I hit it close a couple of times and had tap-ins for birdie. To play well is a bonus.  It’s a four-day tournament and there is a lot ahead of us.”

Only 16 sub-par scores were recorded with seven at Olivos Golf Club and nine at Buenos Aires Golf Club. Hak Shun Yat of Hong Kong,  China, made a double eagle 2 at the par-5 2nd hole at Buenos Aires  Golf Club.

Eugene Wong of Canada paced his team to second place in the first round with a 67 at Olivos Golf Club. (John Mummert/IGF)

The threat of a storm looms for the second round Friday with afternoon rain and wind predicted.

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 120 countries, the World Amateur Team Championship is a biennial international amateur competition, which is rotated among three geographic zones:  Asia-Pacific, Americas and Europe-Africa.  This year the event is hosted by the Asociación Argentina de Golf.  The teams play for the Eisenhower Trophy.

Each team has two or three players and 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, IGF Media Officer