Woods fails to fire as Els quits

Tiger Woods mixed magic with mistakes at the start of the Valderrama World Golf Championship event on Thursday while Ernie Els bowed out of the season's finale after just nine holes.

World number one Woods, who opened the $5 million event with three birdies in four holes, was on two under after 12, three behind clubhouse leaders Scott Hoch of the United States and Scotland's Andrew Coltart who both shot 67s.

Els the world number two, who started the event still in with a chance of winning the European Tour order of merit, withdrew after nine holes with a back strain.

He had bogeyed his last three holes, going out in two-over-par 38, before handing in his card.

Woods began well at the tight 6,974-yard Valderrama course, taking advantage of the wind-less conditions as well as his prodigious length off the tee.

He opted for an iron rather than a wood on the first, then left his approach 16 feet from the pin and sank the downhill putt for his first birdie.

He dropped a stroke at the sixth but responded by shaving the hole with an eagle putt at the next, a 533-yard par five, before holing the return. But he then saw both his six-foot birdie putt and his next effort lip out at the 12th to drop another shot.

Woods, last year's winner, will become the first golfer to win $10 million in a season if he wins the first prize of $1 million. It would also be his 10th victory in 22 starts.

Darren Clarke, the European Tour order of merit leader, was one over after seven, four behind playing partner Vijay Singh.

Lee Westwood, just behind Clarke in the European standings and seeking his seventh win of the season, was level after nine.

The tournament, at the venue of the 1997 Ryder Cup, began with 55 rather than the expected 68 players after a string of top Americans, including world number three Phil Mickelson and number four David Duval, decided to stay at home.