Junior David Chung settled his nerves, took a few practice swings and then ripped a drive at the first tee, just as he does in most of his golf matches on the Farm. But this was no ordinary shot, because the fairway Chung split with his opening drive on Thursday was the first fairway at Augusta National, where Chung was one of four amateurs playing in the 2011 Masters.

Playing alongside 1988 Masters champion Sandy Lyle and Alex Cejka, the first team All-Pac-10 selection from Fayetteville, N.C. Chung started the day well with five straight pars. A bogey at the par-3 sixth dropped him back a stroke, but he made that up with his first birdie at the par-five eight after a nice approach shot.

By the end of the round, Chung was tied for the top amateur and sitting comfortably in 31st place after an even par round of 72.

“The course didn’t play that hard today because there were some receptive pins and there wasn’t much wind,” Chung said.

And indeed, his day could have been even better, as he was 2-under and creeping up the leader board heading to the 17th hole before two bogeys dropped him back to even par for the round.

“It was surreal out there,” Chung said after his round. “I’ve never played in front of a crowd this big. It’s very different than playing in a college tournament, where the only person following you is your coach.”

The last Stanford amateur to play in the Masters was Tiger Woods, who finished tied for 41st in 1995 and was the only amateur to make the cut.