Ayrshire, Scotland (My Sportsbook) - Mark Calcavecchia prayed for good weather and got it.

Miguel Angel Jimenez took one look at the ocean and knew it would be a good day for golf.

Tom Watson grabbed the lead with an early five-under 65 and predicted somebody would go lower.

During the first round of the British Open on Thursday, the only thing more surprising than the fair weather was the group of old names scattered about the top leaderboard.

And the one name that wasn't.

"You look at who is playing well and it is some of the older guys," said Tiger Woods, who opened with a 71 and was tied for 68th place. "They understand how to play this type of golf."

Jimenez, the 45-year-old hirsute Spaniard, fired a bogey-free 64, the lowest first round in British Open history, to take the lead on a day when nearly a third of the field shot under par.

The top nine players on the Turnberry leaderboard at the end of Day 1 averaged about 39 years old.

Watson, 59, was the oldest among them -- indeed, he is the oldest player in the field this week.

He carded a 65 in the morning and took the early lead, turning back the clock to his 1977 victory at Turnberry when he beat Jack Nicklaus in the so-called "Duel in the Sun."

"The body is a little bit old," said Watson, a five-time Open champion, "but the enthusiasm out there today was very similar."

It was the first time Watson shot a 65 in the British Open since the second round in 1994, the last time Turnberry hosted. Among the top players on the leaderboard Thursday, only Watson and Jimenez competed at the course 15 years ago.

Jimenez took the lead with a 40-foot birdie putt at the 18th hole, moving past Watson and 2003 British Open winner Ben Curtis. The 15-time European Tour winner missed only two fairways in his first round.

The ocean "looked like a pond," Jimenez said, and he knew it would be a good day for scoring.

"You can't ask for a better day to play golf," said Jimenez, the ponytailed cigar enthusiast known as "The Mechanic." "No wind, no nothing, and it took care of me."

Calcavecchia, the 1989 champion, woke up and prayed for good weather, the kind Ayrshire experienced on Wednesday during practice rounds. He was not disappointed. Playing in the first group out -- tee time: 6:30 a.m. -- the 49- year-old shot a 67 in tame conditions and was tied for 10th place.

"I hate to say Turnberry was easy, because it's a really hard course," said Calcavecchia, "but if ever you're going to shoot a good score out there, today was the day to do it."

Temperatures on Thursday hovered around the 60s and there was little to no wind, leaving the links-style course open to attack. With no wind to keep the players honest, Turnberry was a shooting gallery.

"It was a wonderful day to play," said Watson, who also has three Senior British Open titles. "There was very little wind and the course is defenseless. It was a good beginning round for me."

Good weather is one thing. Knowing how to take advantage of it is another thing, which is probably why so many "experienced" players were near the top of the leaderboard.

Steve Stricker, 42, Mark O'Meara, 52, Vijay Singh, 46, and Tom Lehman, 50, were also within four shots of the lead.

Said Woods: "They understand how to play this course."