AUGUSTA – There have been plenty of amateurs who have introduced themselves to the world at the Masters. Matt Kuchar finished 21st here as a sophomore at Georgia Tech in 1998. Ricky Barnes also finished 21st in 2003, while Casey Wittenberg tied for tied 13th in 2004, a performance good enough to earn a trip back to this year’s Masters.

The youngsters were the darlings of their respective tournaments, but in retrospect it was little more than 15 minutes of fame among the azaleas. Kuchar, Barnes and even Wittenberg are still trying to establish themselves on the PGA Tour.

Ryan Moore is the latest U.S. Amateur champion dazzling the patrons at Augusta National, riding a wave of hype and expectations not seen since Tiger Woods turned pro after his celebrated amateur career.

Moore, who won the NCAA title, the U.S. Public Links and the U.S. Amateur championship last summer, was expected to do well in this year’s Masters and he hasn’t disappointed. He easily made the 36-hole cut, shooting a pair of 71s to stand at 2-under-par heading into yesterday’s delayed third round.

While he stood only eight shots behind leader Chris DiMarco, Moore was only two strokes behind Woods and Vijay Singh, and one stroke behind defending champion Phil Mickelson. Some 22-year-olds might be intimidated being around such lofty company. But not Moore, who played practice rounds with Arnold Palmer while preparing for the 2003 Masters, where he qualified as the U.S. Pub Links champion.

“Anybody who is here is obviously a pretty impressive player just to get in the tournament,” Moore said. “I respect everybody and their games. I don’t really worry about it. I worry about what I can deal with and that’s me.”

There’s a calmness to Moore that suggests his baby steps at the National are a prelude to greatness. Kuchar and Barnes showed flashes, but were soon exposed by the day-to-day grind of the PGA Tour. Kuchar later won the 2002 Honda Classic as a pro, but has made the cut in just one of his four tournaments this year. Barnes has been a disappointment. He is on the Nationwide tour, posting just one top 10 finish in his four events. Wittenberg turned pro after the U.S. Open last year and missed the cut in four of the six tournaments he played in and has missed the cut in two of his three events this year.

Instant success is expected of Moore, who is long off the tee, has a soft touch around the greens and seems unshaken by the pressure of major championship competition or the rain that delayed the first and second rounds of the Masters. “There’s certain things I can’t control and the weather is certainly one of them,” Moore said. “You’ve got to take what you can get and keep moving along.”

A native of Tacoma, Wash., Moore is accustomed to playing the kind of soggy conditions that persisted here Thursday and Friday. Augusta National almost felt like home. “Growing up near Seattle, I played in wet and soft conditions all the time,” he said. “I’m just not used to the greens rolling quite as quick when it’s wet and soft. But I’m definitely used to it and I enjoy playing in those types of conditions.”

You could tell Moore isn’t shocked to see his name on the leaderboard. It’s as if it’s expected. “I’m going to try and play the best I possibly can,” he said. “That’s all I ever try and do. That’s all I ever can do. We’ll see what that is and I’ll just play one shot at a time and keep it simple.”