Bermudian a big hit with players and supporters here this week at the World Amateur Golf Championships.

Yesterday, that positive energy translated into the best Bermudian score of the day, a six-over-par 76 at the 6,456-yard Capilano GC layout. Arthur Jones, playing with new clubs after breaking two irons in the opening round on Thursday, finished with a 78 on the same course. At Marine Drive, Jack Wahl checked in with a 77, while Robert Vallis lost five strokes to par on the final five holes to finish on 78.

With the top three scores at each course counting, Bermuda sits on 464 (230 at Capilano, 234 at Marine) after two rounds. They are in 41st place in the 49-country field, ahead of Czechoslovakia, Luxembourg, Papua New Guinea, Guatemala, Israel, Nicaragua, El Salvador and the Cook Islands.

Bermuda counted the scores of Vallis (76), Simmons (76) and Jones (78) at Capilano -- and used the rounds of Wahl (77), Vallis (78) and Jones (78) at Marine Drive.

New Zealand tops the team standings on 408, with the United States second on 411 and Australia third on 412. Michael Campbell of New Zealand leads the individual standings on 133 after a 67 at Capilano and a 66 at Marine Drive yesterday. Australia's Lucas Parsons, who shot a five-under 65 at Marine Drive yesterday, is second on 134. The big-hitting Aussie nearly drove the green on the 341-yard first hole, leaving the ball just seven yards short of the putting surface.

Simmons had a fine round going for 14 holes yesterday before double-bogeys at the 15th and 16th holes quickly took his score from two over par to six over.

He began the day with five consecutive pars, bogeyed the sixth and seventh and then dropped a curling 25-foot putt on the eighth for birdie to make the turn at one-over 37.

He bogeyed 11 and 12, and then spectacularly chipped in for birdie at the 120-yard 14th hole to get back to plus two. Simmons finished well, two-putting from 35 feet for par on the 17th and then salvaging a par at the 18th with a fine seven-iron approach shot from a sidehill lie.

"Double-bogeys are hurting me, but otherwise I'm quite pleased,'' Simmons said. "I like the course, I've got no problems with people watching me play and I'm enjoying the pressure of this kind of tournament. It's just the putting I'm having trouble with here. I just can't seem to make the shorter putts.'' Simmons credited his brother-in-law Stanley Ingham, who is caddying for him this week, with his improved play over the opening-round 80 he shot at Marine Drive. "Having a Bermudian caddy helps me to relax,'' he said. "Stanley and I play every other weekend at Port Royal and he's a great asset to me here. He picks me up when I get down on myself out there.'' Playing for the first time with his new Silver Scott 845s, Jones was one under par after 20-footers for birdie at both the third and fourth holes. But bogeys at the sixth and seventh holes and a triple-bogey seven at the 381-yard eighth hole left him on 40 at the turn.

Jones doubled the 10th after pulling his tee shot into the trees, and bogeyed the 13th but picked up a shot with a birdie at the 427-yard 15th hole after a fabulous, cut five-iron to 10 feet. He finished the day with a three-putt bogey at the 17th and a fine two-putt par from 70 feet.

Jones spent much of the day getting adjusted to his new clubs. He hit an eight-iron well past the pin at the 18th when a nine-iron was the club to hit.

"They're nice clubs but I didn't want to have to start using them halfway through a round,'' he said. "But it was better than playing with a mixed bag.'' Wahl had a much better day than his score of seven-over 77 suggests. He parred seven holes on the front nine to make the turn at two-over 38. Wahl bogeyed the 10th and 11th holes after errant tee shots, and just did not have the length to handle the two monster par-fours on the back. Converted from par-fives for this tournament, the 458-yard 13th and the 438-yard 17th produced bogeys for Wahl.

"I got some of my swing back, and hit a lot of real good shots today,'' Wahl said. "I played better than a 77 and that pleases me. But those two par-fours on the back are brutal. They're more than I can handle and I think the same goes for most of the players here. I don't see them getting any damn pars either. Those are bogey holes.'' Vallis was at only three over par after a birdie-four at the 496-yard 12th, made par at the difficult 13th after hitting driver, three-wood to the green -- and then blew up.

He three-putted for bogey at the 140-yard 14th, hit an errant approach shot into the long rough at the 15th and made six and then doubled the 150-yard 16th after hitting his tee shot into sand. Vallis finished the round with a pair of pars, including a fine up-and-down from a sand trap at the 18th.

"Around this kind of golf course, that's what happens when you lose your concentration a bit,'' said Vallis, who hit 12 of 14 fairways in regulation.

"I guess that's what happens when you're playing five-hour-plus rounds. I'm just not good at concentrating for that long.'' Vallis said his putting let him down. "I hit the ball inside 10 feet from the ninth hole to the 12th hole but made only one of the putts for birdie,'' he said.

Bermuda will play at Capilano today before finishing the tournament at Marine Drive tomorrow.

ROBERT VALLIS -- Lack of concentration. GLEN SIMMONS -- Crowd favourite.