John Huston ended the first day of the 61st Masters with one of the great shots in the history of the tournament.

Huston, who attended Auburn University, used a 5-iron to put the ball in the cup from 190 yards out for an eagle on the par-4 18th hole and take a one-shot lead over Paul Stankowski.

Huston's eagle at 18 was just the fourth on 18 in the history of the tournament and one of six eagles on the day. Ernie Els made eagle on the par-4 seventh hole. It was the first eagle on 18 since Jim Colbert made one on the final day in 1974 and the first one on 18 on the opening day since Dennis Hutchinson in 1962.

``That's obviously, a good way to finish,'' said Huston after throwing the ball in the crowd when leaving the 18th green.

Huston said the shot was an adrenaline rush for him and also a relief since he didn't have to putt.

He started the day with two pars and a bogey on the first three holes. He would par the next three holes before getting his first birdie on No. 7.

``After the fourth hole, I would have bet that no one was going to shoot in the 60s,'' Huston said.

Huston, a Mount Vernon, Ill., native, shot an even-par 36 on the front nine. On the back nine, he shot a 31, bettered only by Tiger Woods (who shot 30). He had back-to-back birdies on Nos. 10 and 11 and the eagle helped make up for a three-putt bogey on No. 16. He had four birdies and his dramatic eagle on the back nine.

It was Huston, not Woods, who gave the fans something to remember from the opening round and for a lifetime with his eagle. Ironically, he wasn't sure if this was the best round he had ever played at Augusta National. He finished in a tie for third place in his first Masters appearance in 1990.

``No, I shot 66 a couple of times but this was right up there,'' said Huston, who fired 66 in the first round in 1990 and again in the second round in 1995.

Huston has three PGA Tour wins in his career - the 1990 Honda Classic, the 1992 Walt Disney World Classic and the 1994 Doral Ryder Open. He is making his eighth appearance in the Masters and has two top-10 finishes to his credit. Besides his tie for third place in 1990, he finished tied for 10th in 1994.

The 35-year-old Huston, who now resides in Palm Harbor, Fla., is very cautious. He has missed the cut in five of the nine PGA Tour events he has entered this year, including last week's Freeport-McDermott Classic at New Orleans.

``I feel like I got it coming, though,'' Huston said. ``This year has not been kind to me. I missed the cut by one shot last week. This (the Masters) is a different animal. We don't play anything like this all year but I wish we did.''