Casey, Levet take the early lead

Ernie Els highlighted his round with a hole in one.
TROON, Scotland (AP) -- In a dramatic start to the British Open that included a hole-in-one by Ernie Els on the famed Postage Stamp hole, Paul Casey of England and Thomas Levet of France each had a 5-under-par 66 to take the early lead today at Royal Troon.
Casey outplayed Masters champion Phil Mickelson, making a birdie on the 18th for an early share of the lead.
Levet, who qualified for the British Open with his victory Sunday at Loch Lomond, made four birdies in a five-hole stretch along the easier front nine for his 66.
Stirring start
The conditions were surprisingly calm with only a slight breeze off the Irish Sea, but Els, Gary Evans and Kenny Perry were among those who stirred up the Scottish gallery with spectacular shots.
Els' wedge from 123 yards on the par-3 eighth hole took three bounces before spinning back into the side of the cup, drawing a big grin from the South African and a roar of approval from spectators perched on the dunes surrounding the tiny green.
"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 for a double bogey. He wound up with a 69.
"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."
Evans made the rarest shot in golf, a double eagle on the par-5 fifth hole by knocking in a 5-iron from 227 yards. Perry got off to a great start, holing out from the fairway for eagle. He was 3 under through six holes.
Evans, K.J. Choi, Carl Pettersson and Matthew Goggin finished at 68, while Colin Montgomerie, former PGA champion Rich Beem and Scott Verplank were among those who joined Els at 69.
Late birdie
Mickelson didn't make a birdie until the 16th hole in his round of 73, although he saw some good golf. He played with Casey, who followed Mickelson at Arizona State and is considered one of the bright young stars in Britain.
"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.
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 & amp; St. Annes in 2001.
"When I brought one in, it was fantastic," Evans said. "Happy days."
Tiger Woods had to save par from behind the first green, a shaky start to his round that began late in the day, but he followed that with a birdie on the second. Vijay Singh and defending champion Ben Curtis also had late starts.
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