TROON, Scotland - Ernie Els began his bid to move past Tiger Woods as the world's top player by acing the famed Postage Stamp hole today on his way to an opening 2-under-par 69 in the British Open.

Els' wedge from 123 yards on the par-3 eighth hole took three bounces before spinning back into the cup, drawing a big grin from the South African and roars of approval from the Scottish spectators surrounding the hole.

"It was a good shot and a wonderful, wonderful result," Els said.

Els didn't fare as well on another par-3, taking two shots to get out of a bunker on the 17th hole for a double bogey that kept him from getting closer to the early lead held by Paul Casey of England at 5-under 66.

"From such a highlight on 8 to such a lowlight on 17, it's amazing," Els said. "But I shot 69 and I've got to take that. Anything under 70 is good in a major championship. It's not a bad start."

A lot of other players had good starts too, on a day when the wind was calm at Royal Troon and players took advantage of the conditions.

Gary Evans made a rare double eagle on his way to a 68 that left him two behind, while Casey played the normally tougher back nine in 3-under 32 to set the early mark.

"There aren't any funny bounces around here. It's a very, very fair golf course. You are able to post rounds such as 66 out there," said Casey, who finished tied for sixth in the Masters this year. "But also this year has been a bit of breakthrough. I have no wins yet, but I feel very relaxed."

If Casey is to win this Open he'll have to shoot even lower unless the winds that usually protect Royal Troon return.

Three players posted early 68s, birdies abounded and eagles were available on the front nine that almost always plays much easier than the back nine that goes into the wind.

Els had his hole-in-one, but Evans topped him by making a 2 on the par-5 fourth hole when he holed a 5-iron from 227 yards.

Evans of England, best known for losing a ball on the 17th at Muirfield to wreck his Open chances, made the first double eagle in the British Open since Greg Owen on the 11th hole at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in 2001.

"When I brought one in, it was fantastic," Evans said. "Happy days."

Woods and defending champion Ben Curtis had afternoon tee times, but hometown hero Colin Montgomerie thrilled the crowd with a 69 that put him firmly in contention.

Masters champion Phil Mickelson was one of the few early starters who had trouble. Mickelson made only one birdie in shooting a 2-over 73.

With former PGA champion Rich Beem leading the way with an early eagle that helped him to a 31 on the front nine, the early starters took dead aim at the pins on a morning when the wind off the Firth of Clyde was unusually quiet.

Beem eagled the sixth hole, but found the going tougher when he headed into the breeze on the back nine and shot 38.

Players had expected the front nine to play easier, mostly because it almost always plays downwind. The second nine on the links course returns directly into the prevailing wind, forcing players to hang on to try and protect their scores.

Unlike the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, where players criticized the course conditions as too severe, Royal Troon offered nothing but the weather and its usual collection of deep bunkers and heather to protect par.

With the winds light in the morning and half the 156-player field out on the course, 28 players were under par.

On the other end of the spectrum was Tom Weiskopf, the '73 Open champion at Royal Troon playing in his first major since the 1995 British Open. The 61-year-old Weiskopf took a quadruple-bogey 8 on the easy opening hole and shot 45 on the front nine before rebounding with a 35 on the back for an 80.

David Duval didn't even make it to the first tee, withdrawing because of a sprained muscle in his back. Duval played his first tournament of the year last month in the U.S. Open, shooting 83-82 to miss the cut.

Curtis, the improbable winner at Royal St. George's last year in his first major championship, was then so unknown that when he asked for a local caddie, the caddie replied: "Ben who?"

His visibility hasn't improved much since last year, and neither have his odds. British bookies make him a 200-1 pick to successfully defend his title, something that hasn't happened since Tom Watson turned the trick in 1983.

While all eyes won't be on the understated Ohioan, they will be on Woods as he tries to snap out of a slump that would have been unthinkable only a few years ago.

Woods has failed to win any of the last eight major championships, after winning seven of the previous 11. He comes to Troon with a big new graphite-shafted driver and lowered expectations, mired in a slump so bad he's winless in stroke play events since last October.

"You go out and try your best," Woods said. "That's all you can do. You can't do anything more than that."

The Open is back at Royal Troon for the first time since 1997, when Justin Leonard won his only major championship. The links course on the Irish Sea plays relatively easy on the outward front nine, but can be brutal with the wind blowing in a player's face on the inward nine.

Montgomerie knows it better than anyone, having played the championship course hundreds of times while honing his game as a teenager. At age 41, he's back trying desperately to win his first major title before fellow Scots who will be cheering his every move.

Montgomerie drew huge cheers from the hometown crowd as he got to 3 under on the front nine, but promptly double bogeyed the 10th hole before finishing with a 69.

AP-ES-07-15-04 0839EDT