NATCHEZ &045; If the second day of the 2004 Beau Pr Cup is as close as the first, things could get exciting.

After the first day of competition, the St. Andrews team was up by just a single point over the Carnoustie team, leading 7 1/2 to 6 1/2.

&uot;It’s a good matchup,&uot; Bill Lambert, the Carnoustie captain, said. &uot;We’ve got a chance. We’re just one down going into tomorrow.&uot;

The Cup is modeled after the Ryder Cup competition between the best professional players from the United States and Europe. At Beau Pr, the club’s best players split into teams and play against each other in three different formats over two days.

Saturday featured partner play, with pairings matching up in best ball format in the morning round and alternate shot in the afternoon. Today’s round will consist of individual matches using match-play format, in which players win or halve (tie) each hole, as opposed to stroke-play format &045; used at most professional tournaments &045; in which a golfer’s total number of strokes in a round determines his score.

After the morning best ball competition, the match was dead even at 3 1/2 points each. Three pairings for each team won and one match, between St. Andrews’ Kevin and Rob Smith splitting a point with Carnoustie’s Howard Jones and Bill Lambert.

In the afternoon, the St. Andrews team captured the lead, winning four pairings to Carnoustie’s three in alternate shot play.

Today’s individual matches, in which 14 points are up for grab, should make the difference. It takes 14 1/2 points to win the cup. All 14 participants for each team will square off against their opponents in individual match-play format. With so many points still available, both teams have a good chance to win the tournament.

&uot;It’s up for grabs,&uot; Rob Smith, the St. Andrews captain, said. &uot;The last couple years it was almost over after the first day.&uot;