British Open update: Ernie Els was among the early starters hoping to get back into contention on the second day of the Open Championship at Carnoustie today.

Els, winner at Muirfield in 2002 and runner-up at Troon in 2004, could only manage an opening 72 to lie seven shots behind overnight leader Sergio Garcia.

The South African had looked set for a good round after holing a bunker shot for a birdie on the first, but also carded four bogeys, two of them coming on the last two holes.

A par on the first this morning kept Els at one over par.  He then continued that steady start with further pars at the second and third.

Argentina's Andres Romero was demonstrating that the front nine was again the best place to make a score. Birdies at the first, third and fourth lifted Romero to two under par and into a share of eighth place.

England's Paul Broadhurst, joint holder of the lowest ever round in a major with his 63 in the 1990 Open at St Andrews, had improved to one under after a birdie on the third.

However, it did not take long for former champion John Daly to continue his remarkable collapse.

Daly led at five under par yesterday after holing a 60-yard pitch for an eagle two on the 11th, but played the last seven holes in eight over par, including an eight on the 14th.

The winner at St Andrews in 1995, Daly bogeyed the opening hole today to drop back to four over par, throwing a club at his bag after failing to recover from a greenside bunker.

Garcia is due out at 9.31am but Ireland's Paul McGinley, second overnight after a 67, has to wait until 3.15pm to resume his challenge for a first major title.