Hole by hole report on how the pros played Port Royal

The four players — Ernie Els, David Toms, Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell.

On paper Els - a stand in for Masters champ Phil Mickelson would be the favourite.

His last major championship win may have been 2002 but the South African has a phenomenal track record in big tournaments. Irishman Graeme McDowell has had a sensational year and comes into this tournament on the back of a heroic Ryder Cup performance.

Martin Kaymer, the rising German star who won the PGA Championship, is also in fine form. David Toms, the 2001 PGA Champion, makes up the field as a replacement for injured Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen.

Hole 1: Par 4, 418 yards

All four tee shots ended up in roughly the same place just to the right of the water feature. Kaymer was longest off the tee, thanks to a lucky bounce from the cart path. But it is Toms who produces the shot of the hole with a measured chip within a few feet, which he rolls in for birdie. Els matches that with a terrific putt from 7ft. Kaymer and McDowell settle for routine pars.

Score: Els -1, Toms -1, Kaymer E, McDowell E

Hole 2:  Par 5, 567 yards

David Toms looks on fine form — stretching his lead with another birdie. McDowell gets on the board with a birdie. Steady fives for Kaymer and Els.

Score: Els -1, Toms -2, Kaymer E, McDowell -1

Hole 3: Par 3, 148 yards

Martin Kaymer puts his tee shot within a couple of feet and holes for his first birdie of the day.

The weather is good, there's a mild breeze blowing, but nothing to trouble these guys. Should be some low scores today.

 Score: Els -1, Toms -2, Kaymer -1, McDowell -1

Hole 4: Par 4, 458 yards

One of the toughest holes on the course claims tits first victim. Graeme McDowell misses the green with his second shot and can't get close enough with the chip to save par.

Martin Kaymer and David Toms both miss difficult birdie opportunities.

 Score: Els -1, Toms - 2, Kaymer -1, McDowell E

Hole 5: Par 4, 380 yards

Anyone who has played Port Royal will be sufficiently humbled by those tee shots. Immaculate drives to within a pitching wedge of the green.

Toms and Kaymer don't get close enough with their chips and have to settle for par. Els is pitch perfect and rolls in for another birdie. McDowell rolls in from a similar distance.

Score: Els -2, Toms -2, McDowell -1, Kaymer -1

Hole 6: Par 4, 370 yards

Four more identical tee shots to within chipping distance of the pin.

Kaymer is consistently a few yards longer than the rest, but it’s not helping him too much.

His chip is off range and he needs two putts to save par. Els and McDowell come agonizingly close with birdie putts but it is as you were with pars all round.

Score: Els -2, Toms -2, McDowell -1, Kaymer -1

Hole 7: Par 5, 517 yards

The crowd has thinned out a bit from previous years, despite the drop in ticket prices. Hard to tell for sure till you get to 18, though. Not everyone wants to walk the course.

Els misses a golden opportunity for another birdie here. If he’d took his chances he would be streets ahead. Toms takes an outright lead, rolling in from a few feet.

McDowell had an eagle chance at this short par 5 but overhit his shot and had to settle for a par in the end

Kaymer has a nightmare hole — missing a par-saving put from three-feet.

Score: Els -2, Toms -3, McDowell -1, Kaymer E

Hole 8: Par 3, 213 yards

The golf course really starts to come into its own on this difficult par 3. A long iron towards the deep blue backdrop of the Atlantic.

We’re entering the oceanside portion of the course now — where Bermuda really starts to get its money’s worth on those television images.

It’s all too much for the players who head for the beach – three of them finding sand traps that guard the entrance to the green.

Kaymer gets out of trouble magnificently but then misses another easy putt to slip to one over. Els, the only one who didn’t find the sand, misses a simple putt and bogeys as well.

Toms and McDowell save par – up and down in two from the sand.

Score: Els – 1, Toms -3, McDowell -1, Kaymer +1

Hole 9: Par 4, 383 yards

With the exception of Kaymer, who is struggling, nobody is having too much trouble off the tee.

It’s coming down to the short game – pitching and putting. And Toms is excelling in both, chipping to within a few feet and holing for a birdie to take a clear lead at the turn.

Kaymer takes the scenic route – in the rough, in the sand, up and down for par.

Els misses another difficult birdie chance.

Score: Els – 1, Toms -4, McDowell -1, Kaymer +1

Hole 10: Par 4, 350 yards

It’s pitch and putt golf again with all four firing their tee shots within arms length of each other — a short uphill chip from the green. A roar of approval from above tells Toms he has done it again... He chips within inches of the hole and putts for yet another birdie. He is tearing it up today.  Pars all round for the others.

Score: Els – 1, Toms -5, McDowell -1, Kaymer +1

Hole 11: Par 4, 443 yards

Heading downhill now with the Great Sound providing the backdrop. But it is a complete horror show for McDowell.

The Irishman, a crowd favourite in Bermuda pink, finds the sand with a difficult second from the rough - just the start of his troubles. He belts his sand shot over the green and out of bounds. His second attempt is better but there is no recovering from that and he ends with a horrific triple bogey. 

Toms played a near identical second shot, which hit McDowell’s ball in the bunker. But he made a better fist of it two putting for a bogey.

Els closes on the leader finally holing one of those midrange putts for a birdie.

Score: Els – 2, Toms -4, McDowell +2, Kaymer +1

Hole 12: Par 4, 383 yards

GMac, as the Irish golfer is affectionately known, hasn't quite got the muscle of the others.

His weaker tee shots mean he is chipping first every time.

Everybody is on the green in two though and it is Toms’ laser accuracy with the putter that separates him from the pack.

He holes a difficult right to left putt from around ten feet to go back to five under.

Els is a millimeter away from matching him. Mcdowell’s nightmare continues as he three-puts for a bogey.

Score: Els – 2, Toms -5, McDowell +3, Kaymer +1

Hole 13: Par 3, 235 yards

McDowell has the crowd ducking for cover with a wayward tee shot that lands on a hillock to the left of the green. It’s testimony to the turn his round has taken in the last hour that he draws huge applause just by saving par.

No luck for Els who is within a fingernail's breadth of sinking a monster putt for birdie. Toms overhits his tee shot and struggles to a bogey.

Score: Els – 2, Toms -4, McDowell +3, Kaymer +1

Hole 14: Par 4, 393 yards

The calamity continues for McDowell who finds the sand again with another poor tee shot.

He scrapes par but is clinging on by his fingernails. That triple bogey really shook him up. Pars all round.

Score: Els – 2, Toms -4, McDowell +3, Kaymer +1

Hole 15: Par 4, 412 yards

Its Els’ turn to go off the rails, shanking his tee shot way off course and into a deadly patch of oyster grass (not sure if that’s what its called – prickly purple plant) way over by the 16th tee.

He redeems himself with a superb chip and saves par.

No such look for Kaymer who chops it into the bushes and scrambles a bogey.  Pars for the rest.

Score: Els – 2, Toms -4, McDowell +3, Kaymer +2

Hole 16: Par 3, 235 yards

Liquid blue ocean, fishing boats bobbing in the distance, world-class golfers showing that even they struggle when faced with the psychological challenge of Port Royal’s signature hole. This is what Bermuda Grand Slam golf is all about. Superb bunker shots save par for McDowell and Kaymer after they scuff tee-shots into the sand. Els and Toms have an easier time. Par all round.

Score: Els – 2, Toms -4, McDowell +3, Kaymer +2

Hole 17: Par 5, 507 yards

Toms struggles to par, getting bogged down in the rough at the waters edge on this par 5.

Els finds the bushes again put pulls off a superb recovery shot, hitting left-handed with next to no back-lift. He has a birdie chance, but Els comes close but not close enough with another massive putt for birdie. Popular McDowell draws whoops from the crowd as his birdie putt rolls round the rim and drops to bring him an inch closer to the pack. Kaymer fluffs his chip from the back edge of the green and has to settle for par.

Score: Els – 2, Toms -4, McDowell +2, Kaymer +2

Hole 18: Par 4, 410 yards

Superb finish from Ernie sets things up nicely for tomorrow. He finds the bunker with his tee-shot but pulls off a magnificent bunker effort to drop three feet from the pin and roll in for a birdie.

McDowell also ends on a high, coming back from a miss-hit tee shot to claim a birdie.

If it wasn’t for that triple bogey at eleven, he would be right in the mix. Kaymer bogeys to go even further back. He’s had a poor round by his awesome recent standards. Looks like its down to Els and Toms to shoot it out for victory tomorrow.

Score: Els – 3, Toms -4, McDowell +1, Kaymer +3