THOMASTOWN, Ireland (AP) – His post-majors funk behind him, Ernie Els was back in his element Friday.

Playing some of his best golf in the worst conditions, Els breezed through a wacky day of weather at the American Express Championship by starting with four straight birdies and finishing with an 8-under 64, giving him a two-shot lead and hope that he still has a lot to play for this year.

“I didn’t know what to expect today,” Els said. “I wanted to just try and get myself in position and take every shot as they came. I mean, 64 in these conditions … it’s one of the better rounds I’ve played this year.”

Els was at 11-under 133, and right behind him was a familiar foe.

No, not Tiger Woods.

British Open champion Todd Hamilton, who went head-to-head with Els over the final 40 holes at Royal Troon before beating him in a playoff, had one of only two bogey-free rounds at Mount Juliet for a 69 and was at 9-under 135 with Miguel Angel Jimenez (68).

“I’ve seen everything except snow today,” Hamilton said.

Woods still struggled with a back injury, but he saved his worst grimaces for all the putts he missed.

Just one shot off the lead at one point, Woods took 19 putts over his final nine holes and had to settle for a 70, leaving him five shots behind going into the weekend.

“I just had four holes where I spent a little more time on the green than I should have,” Woods said.

Everyone spent way too much time changing clothes.

The weather switched from showers to sunshine, from a warm breeze to cold gusts up to 20 mph, sometimes over the span of three holes.

“We were taking off jackets, putting on jackets, had the umbrella out, taking rain pants off, putting them back on,” Hamilton said. “It was a nuisance. Plus, we got told we were behind, and that makes you speed up. I told him it was because we had to undress so many times.”

It was a perfect day for Els.

The Big Easy prefers tropical warmth, which he gets at his beach house in South Africa. But he has a good history in bad weather, such as the 72 he shot in the third round at Muirfield two years ago when he won the British Open.

“I’ve been playing the European tour 13 years now, so I think I’ve seen most conditions,” Els said. “I just start learning after a while. When it’s like this, it’s a good opportunity to do something, maybe catch up.”

Els did better than that, and quickly.

Three shots behind to start the second round, Els had the lead before Hamilton even got to the first tee box. He holed a couple of short putts, nearly made an ace on the par-3 third, then made a 30-footer on the fourth.

He added a couple of more birdies on the back nine, then ended his round with a 10-foot par save.

“I’m leading at the moment, but leading right now doesn’t mean much,” Els said. “We’ve got a lot of golf to be played, and I’ve got a lot of birdies to be made.”

Jimenez will join Els in the final pairing Saturday thanks to a dynamic finish. He made a 25-foot birdie on the 16th, a 50-foot eagle on the next hole and finished with a shot equally impressive – a chip from deep rough on the side of a mound to a tight pin. The ball nearly went in, and the Spaniard tapped in for par.

Jimenez, a four-time winner in Europe this year, nearly won the inaugural American Express Championship at Valderrama in 1999 until making bogey on the last hole and losing to Woods in a playoff.

“Hopefully, I can make it up,” he said. “Yes, it should be good.”

Els is trying to make up for what feels like a lost year. Even though he has won twice on the PGA Tour, he played well enough to win all four majors and got nothing out of it.

He lost the Masters by one shot and came up one shot short of a playoff at the PGA Championship. He lost the British Open in a four-hole playoff and shot 80 from the final group in the U.S. Open.

“I’ve got to feel encouraged about what happened,” Els said. “In three of the four, I was there right till the death. Obviously, being human and being an athlete, you play to win, and when it didn’t happen, I was quite disappointed. But I’m fine now. I’ve just got to dedicate myself and get back into the swing of things, and I’m busy doing that.”

Els took the last two weeks to spend time in South Africa, getting his body back into shape.

He has never won a World Golf Championship, and he has a slim lead on the European tour money list, so this $7 million event would be a good place to cash in.

Plus, he can move past Woods into No. 2 in the world ranking by winning.

But there’s a lot of work left at Mount Juliet, and plenty of players behind him.

Justin Leonard, desperate to make the Tour Championship for the 10th straight year, had a 68 and was alone in fourth at 8-under 136. U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen, second to Els on the European money list, had a 69 and was at 137 with Lee Westwood (69), Thomas Bjorn (69) and Steve Flesch (70).

Woods joined Brad Faxon (68) and Padraig Harrington (69) among those another stroke back. In all, 13 players were within five shots of the lead with two rounds left.

“I’ve put myself in position. Depending on the conditions, we’ll see,” Els said.

The worse they are, the better he is.

AP-ES-10-01-04 1554EDT