Amateur Ricky Barnes stole Tiger Woods' limelight Friday, snatching it right out of the two-time defending champion's hands.

Many a writer has predicted Woods will win his third-straight Masters Tournament this weekend. When second-round play was suspended because of darkness Friday evening, though, he didn't even lead his own pairing.

That honor belonged to Barnes, the reigning U.S. Amateur champion and three-time All-American at the University of Arizona. He fired a first-round 3-under-par 69 and stands in fourth place at 1-under through 28 holes, five shots behind leader Mike Weir. Barnes bested Woods by seven shots after Round 1.

"I wasn't thinking that I beat Tiger by seven, but rather I went out there and played a solid round," Barnes said. "And that's what I was looking forward to going into the day."

Should his stellar play continue, Barnes will become the first amateur to make the cut since David Gossett in 2000. Just playing four rounds, though, isn't why Barnes is here.

"(I) think if you come out here settling for a missed cut or something like that, you're out here for the wrong reasons," he said.

Barnes carded five birdies and two bogeys in the first round. He punctuated his round with birdie putts of 30 feet and seven feet on Nos. 17 and 18, respectively.

This from a golfer playing his second professional tournament. Earlier this year, he tied for 18th place in the Chrysler Classic of Tucson.

"I think things went well," Barnes said. "I'll take 69 every round and take my chances."

Barnes got stuck in the mud early in his second round. He bogeyed his first hole (No. 10) and double-bogeyed No. 14 to drop to even-par. He was able to bounce back by playing exceptionally in two areas: greens in regulation (19 of 28) and putting (1.571 average).

After a birdie at the par-5 15th hole, Barnes found trouble three holes later. He sliced his second shot short of the 18th green, but pitched over a bunker to 12 feet. He drained the par putt and walked off the hole smiling.

Woods was impressed with the amateur's play.

"He played beautifully today," Woods said. "He hit a lot of good shots. But more than anything, he really played well, but he really conducted himself well."

Barnes was easily the best of the five amateurs in the tournament that included Hunter Mahan, the 2002 U.S. Amateur runner-up; Ryan Moore, the 2002 U.S. Amateur Public Links winner; Alejandro Larrazabal, the 2002 British Amateur champion; and George Zahringer, the reigning U.S. Mid-Amateur champion.

Mahan and Moore have a shot at making the cut, which is projected at 4-over par. After a first-round 73, Mahan is 1-over through 30 holes. Moore (73) is 4-over through 32 holes.

Larrazabal shot a first-round 82 and is 16-over with two holes left in his round. Zahringer is the only amateur to finish, with rounds of 82-85.