The last time an amateur led the opening round of the Masters Tournament, Ike was president and the Braves were still in Milwaukee.

That streak of 42 years will remain intact, but Matt Kuchar made a run at history Thursday at the Augusta National Golf Club. The 19-year-old from Georgia Tech, playing by virtue of his win in the U.S. Amateur last summer, stood at 2-under for the day before dunking his third shot in the water at No. 15 and carding a double-bogey seven. He finished at even-par 72, three strokes behind leader Fred Couples.

Either way, Bobby Jones had to be smiling.

Jones, the fabled amateur who founded the Masters Tournament, always had a soft spot in his heart for those who played for no compensation. And he always made sure they were well represented in the invitation-only field.

For the record, Ken Venturi was the last amateur to lead after the opening round, and that was in 1956. Venturi's 66 that year propelled him to the lead after 54 holes, but he skied to an 80 on the final day to let Jack Burke Jr. edge him by a single stroke.

Two years earlier, amateur Billy Joe Patton became a part of Masters lore by leading the first round with a 70. He led Ben Hogan and Sam Snead well into the final round, but found the water on the 13th and 15th holes to fall one stroke shy of getting into a Monday playoff.

Kuchar and Joel Kribel did Jones proud in the first round of the Masters, getting their names on the leaderboard with respectable efforts at Augusta National Golf Club.

Kuchar, who had the distinction of playing with defending champion Tiger Woods, was unfazed by the huge galleries following his group. He carded birdies on Nos. 3, 6 and 8 to offset a bogey at No. 7 on the front. After the double at No. 15, he hit another ball into the water on No. 16 but managed to salvage a bogey, and a birdie on the 17th put him in at even-par 72.

``It started with a terrific moment on No. 1,'' Kuchar said. ``Halfway down to the first tee are my grandma and my grandpa. And they've been talking about me playing in the Masters forever. To see them, and have them watching, was a pretty special moment.''

Kribel actually shared the lead at one point after touring the front nine in 1-under 35. But three straight bogeys to start the back nine left the Stanford University star with a 2-over 74.

``I was happy with the way I started,'' said Kribel, who was paired with 1987 Masters champion Larry Mize. ``I had a pretty decent-sized lapse in the middle of the round. I was happy with the way I came in. I could have packed it in.''

After three-putting No. 13 for par and bogeying No. 14, however, Kribel played the last four holes 1-under with a birdie on the 17th.

Jones, who never turned professional and quit competitive golf after winning the Grand Slam in 1930, played in his tournament until 1948. It was not uncommon for those early Masters to have more than 10 amateurs in the field, a far cry from the number eligible today.

According to the club's qualifications for invitation, amateurs must be the current U.S. Amateur champion or runner-up, current British Amateur champion, current U.S. Amateur Public Links champion, or the current U.S. Mid-Amateur champion.

Of course, amateurs can qualify by virtue of finishing in the top 24 from the previous Masters, or by playing well in the U.S. Open (top 16) or winning a PGA Tour event.

The other amateurs in the field -- Ken Bakst, Tim Clark and Craig Watson -- didn't fare as well as Kuchar and Kribel.

Clark, the Public Links champion, shot an 80. A native of South Africa, he got to play with countryman and three-time Masters champion Gary Player in the opening round. Clark's round featured eight bogeys and no birdies.

Watson, the British Amateur winner, fared slightly better with a 79. He, too, got to play with a countryman -- Sandy Lyle of Scotland, the 1988 winner. After going out in 42, Watson put together eight straight pars on the back before bogeying No. 18.

Bakst, the U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, had the most bad breaks of the day in his round of 82.

His tee shot on the par-3 No. 6 hole hit the flagstick and came back off the green. From there he made a double-bogey five.

`It looked like it hit the green first, then it hit the pin and came off,'' Bakst said, noting the ball hit a mere 4 inches in front of the cup. ``It was the beginning of the ride south for me. I couldn't get it back.''

And to top his day off, Bakst incurred a penalty stroke when his ball moved after he addressed it on No. 17.

``Murphy's Law definitely prevailed today,'' he said. ``Everything that could go wrong today did go wrong.''

One benefit that Clark, Kribel and Kuchar are taking advantage of this week is the Crow's Nest. On the second floor of Augusta National's famous clubhouse, the 30-by-40 foot room features a cupola rising out of the middle, with windows on either side that can be reached only by ladder.

For amateurs, making the cut at the Masters has proven almost as difficult as negotiating Augusta's slick greens. The last two years no amateur made the 36-hole cut, the only time in the tournament's history that has happened.

The last person to make the cut as an amateur was Woods in 1995. But with a 72-hole total of 293, he didn't seriously challenge. The last amateur to finish among the top 24 was Sam Randolph in 1985, finishing in a tie for 18th with a 290 total.

Still, despite the odds that tell them they probably won't win, Kuchar and Kribel are enjoying the overall Masters experience.

``I woke up this morning about 9, so I got good sleep,'' Kuchar said. ``Then I decided I wanted to go outside and watch some golf. So around 10:30 I just started walking the grounds. A handful of people recognized me. That was fun for me.''

Kribel also slept well in the Crow's Nest.

``It feels good I didn't shoot myself out of it. I slept pretty well, and I was up before the alarm, a little after 7,'' Kribel said. ``Larry Mize has been here 15 times, and he said, `It's still really special.' You can only imagine what it's like for me.''