PGA Grand Slam final day: hole-by-hole report

A great start for Graeme McDowell who picks up where he left off yesterday with a birdie.

The personable Irishman chips to within range and holes a decent putt. He’s back to even par now and may just have half a chance.

Els is struggling with the putter again and bogeys.

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

Hole 2:  Par 5, 567 yards

McDowell’s back in business. His fourth birdie in a row, including those two to finish yesterday and he’s finally laid the demons of that triple bogey to rest.

Els is still struggling on the greens. He gave himself a birdie chance after a characteristically defiant bunker shot, but missed when he should have closed the gap.

Kaymer inches back to the pack with his first birdie since the third hole on day one.

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

Hole 3: Par 3, 148 yards

Anyone catch the television coverage last night and think ‘wow, I live there’.

It’s amazing that it takes an international camera crew to make us realize what is on our doorstep. Bermuda may have its issues, but its still paradise.

Pars all round on the third.

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

Hole 4: Par 4, 458 yards

Els is really scrapping to stay in this. The wind dies on him and his shot to the green comes up way short. He scrapes home for a par.

McDowell has trouble with those greenside bunkers and his good start is curtailed with a bogey.

Four pars in a row now for Toms – that might be good enough. He hasn’t actually made a birdie since the 12th yesterday – but he’s not making too many mistakes either.

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

Hole 5: Par 4, 380 yards

Steady is the only word for David Toms, who makes another comfortable par despite hitting a fairway bunker off the tee.

McDowell’s back on his hot streak, chipping to within a few feet and holing for his fifth birdie in six holes.

Els misses from a similar position. The South African brought his putter to the press conference last night saying he was going to get straight back out on the practice greens.

It doesn’t seem to have helped as another birdie chance slips by.

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

Hole 6: Par 4, 370 yards

McDowell tells the interviewer at the sixth tee that he woke up feeling good and is relishing the chance to play in the wind.

And he almost backs that up with another birdie, rattling the edge of the hole.

Kaymer, who has been struggling for a few holes now, finds the crowd with  his second shot and bogeys.

Els needs another of those magnificent sand shots to save par. Steady, steady, steady from Toms.

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

Hole 7: Par 5, 517 yards

At last. A birdie putt drops for Ernie Els. But Toms matches him to maintain that two-shot lead.

McDowell reprises his 11th hole nightmare from yesterday. He completely misses the green with a bunker shot and scars his card with a double bogey. Its between Els and Toms now – as if you didn’t know that already.

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

Hole 8: Par 3, 213 yards

Kaymer’s playing risk/reward stuff, only he’s not getting any reward. An ambitious drive at the pin ends in the sand and he bogeys again,

These guys look very casual, strolling and chatting to each other, taking in the South Shore views. This is friendly golf – ‘exhibition stuff’ McDowell called it last night. Easy to forget they are playing for $600,000 – pocket change for these guys, I suppose.

Score: Els -3, Toms –5, McDowell +1, Kaymer +4

Hole 9: Par 4, 383 yards

The soothsaying Octopus who predicted a victory for Kaymer isn’t looking to sharp at the moment.

The nautical Nostradamus has jinxed he German, who briefly raises hope of a miracle with a birdie here. But he’s seven back through the turn. No chance.

The leaders both find the sand and bogey here. Not much has changed, then on the opening nine.

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

Hole 10: Par 4, 350 yards

The wind is really starting to pick up now  - gusting at 30mph – and how these guys handle this exposed section of the course will decide who wins this.

Its not going to be Kaymer, who misses an easy putt to add another unnecessary bogey to his score.

Toms salvages a par with an excellent sand save.

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

Hole 11: Par 4, 443 yards

There is a much bigger crowd today - a great mass of people following phalanx of blue shirted stewards behind an advancing rope line. Tiring stuff this, for a spectator sport.

Els pulls back to within a shot of the leader holing from about six feet for birdie after a tidy chip.

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

Hole 12: Par 4, 383 yards

An alternative to walking the course for the less athletic spectator is simply to sit in food tent and watch on television, as many are doing. You could argue that golf is better on tv – you get to see the shot and where it lands.

All we see of Kaymer’s tee-shot here is the crowd on the far side scrambling for cover, to shouts of ‘fore’.

Amazingly he scrapes par.

Toms, meanwhile, responds to the threat from Els with the shot of the day so far.

In an unenviable positon on a low ridge just off the green, he chips in to rapturous applause. Okay that was much better to see in reality than on a screen.

Score: Els -3, Toms –5, McDowell +1, Kaymer +4

Hole 13: Par 3, 235 yards

Els has missed putt after putt and it is clearly bothering him. He’s constantly rehearsing the shot, shadow putting every spare moment.

Another bogey here, as he misses the green – not finding enough power and rolling back downhill.

Bogey, too, for McDowell and Kaymer, who probably can’t wait to go home.

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

Hole 14: Par 4, 393 yards

Sensational stuff from Toms. He pulls another magnificent chip out of the bag, holing from below the green when a double-bogey looked possible. Surely his name is on the trophy.

Else, who made birdie himself, shakes his head in disbelief. He knows it is going to take something to catch this man.

He’s crept a shot closer though. Toms took the scenic route through the bushes and that superb shot simply saved par.

Another bogey for McDowell, in case you are still interested.

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

Hole 15: Par 4, 412 yards

Game on. Els is level after a superb chip into the green put him too close to miss.

Toms finds the trees, then the bunker and his magical short game can’t save him this time. Bogey. A two-shot turnaround and its in the balance.

Any amateur hacker who has toiled round Port Royal will take huge comfort from the challenge it is posing today. Scaremongers told us it would be mini golf to the greats of the game but only Toms is sub-par today.

If anyone cares what Kaymer’s doing anymore – he almost holed with a beautiful chip from the second shot and pulls one back with a birdie

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

Hole 16: Par 3, 235 yards

A handful of kiteboarders, taking advantage of the South Shore wind, add to the spectacle of this coastal hole.

But the drama is all on the course.

A ‘rose with thorns’ is how YE Yang described this whole. There’s a plaque at the tee-box with a quote from last year’s champ Lucas Glover: “Man, I’ve never felt so nervous on a shot in my life”.

If Els is nervous he doesn’t show any sign of it. He hits the back of the green and then, facing a monster 35-foot putt, he nails it to take the lead.

Toms comes unstuck in the bunker but keeps his cool to save par. Advantage Els.

Score: Els -5, Toms –4, McDowell +3, Kaymer +4

Hole 17: Par 5, 507 yards

The putter that has been Els’ enemy all tournament is proving his biggest weapon now.

He looked to have given the advantage back to Toms - over-shooting the green with a drive that had him throwing his club in frustration.

But he holes from ten-feet to take that one-shot advantage into the final hole.

Meanwhile McDowell  (remember him?) is virtually in the water. He takes off his shoes and socks and goes paddling, pulling off a tremendous chip, ankle deep in the lake, to put him on the green and save par. Kaymer’s closing in on him in the wooden spoon race though.

Score: Els -5, Toms –4, McDowell +3, Kaymer +3

Hole 18: Par 4, 410 yards

Ernie keeps his cool to earn a well deserved win. He played it safe on the final hole, two-putting for par after Toms found the sand with his tee-shot.

So it’s a one-shot win for Els who really pulled it out of the bag on the final few holes, finding his form with the putter.

Kaymer and McDowell are tied at the back.

But it’s a pink jacket and a dark rum for the big South African — better make both an extra large.

Score: Els -5, Toms –4, McDowell +3, Kaymer +3