a fight on the opening day of the Bermuda Goodwill Tournament yesterday. The team from Massachusetts, featuring club professional Jimmy Noris playing with a father and two sons, carded a net 57 at Port Royal.

But Bermuda's own Belmont team went one better with a 56 at Castle Harbour to put themselves in pole position this morning.

Teams of four from 85 clubs, mostly from the USA, are competing for the tournament, playing one round each at the Belmont, Castle Harbour, Mid Ocean and Port Royal courses.

Dedham's 57 was particularly impressive, as they achieved it at a course widely acknowledged to be one of the trickiest. "Personally, I would say Port Royal is the hardest course, but we made a great team effort today,'' said Noris.

"The conditions were just about perfect, there was no wind. Usually, there's quite a bit of wind blowing around at Port Royal, so the course was possibly a little easier to play than in previous years.'' The Dedham team is the same foursome which triumphed last year, Noris partnered by 62-year-old father Bill Foehl and his two sons Curt (37) and Reed (33).

Noris felt the star of the team had been Curt, playing off an eight-handicap, who won the nearest-the-pin contest when his tee shot at the eighth hole stopped just two feet from the flag and he putted for a two.

Playing with three members of the same family had not caused any extra tensions, said Noris. "They don't get onto each other, in fact it's probably made things easier, because they encourage each other.'' And Noris picked out the early front runners as probably the biggest threat to a successful title defence.

"Belmont shooting a 56 at Castle Harbour was some score. As a local team, they will know the lie of the land and they will be serious challengers.'' Representing Belmont are Cornell Bean, Chris Phillips, Wade Jerrett and David Rocha.

Level on 57 with Dedham are the Wee Burn Country Club, the best-performing team on the Belmont course yesterday.

A stroke further back are Westchester Hills, Tupper Lake, Salem and Metuchen and three teams are tied on 59, Lake Sunapee, Montclair and Winchester.

Scores were higher at the Mid Ocean Club, where Beacon Hall took the honours with a 62.

Today, Belmont will play at Port Royal and Dedham at Belmont.

FAMILY TRIO -- Defending champions Dedham, featuring (from left to right) Bill Foehl, his two sons Curt and Reed, and professional Jimmy Noris, carded a net 57 at Port Royal on day one of the Bermuda Goodwill Tournament yesterday.