Grand Slam Week kicks off with a fun Monday

The four major champions warmed up for their 36 holes of competition by aiding junior golfers, playing a pro-am, taking part in a Golf Channel instruction show and even playing a little cricket.

By Josh Ball, Special to PGA.com

SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda – Graeme McDowell missed a ‘pressure’ putt and laughed, Ernie Els and West Indies legend Brian Lara played cricket on the 16th tee, and the PGA Grand Slam of Golf got off to a light-hearted start at Port Royal Golf Course on Monday.

Lara and Els, who have been close friends for several years, also roped Bermuda Premier Ewart Brown into their impromptu game, taking seven minutes out of their Pro-Am round to play.

“He’s a golf freak like I’m a cricket freak, it was easy to keep both of us happy,” said Els. “He actually came to my wedding, that’s how good a friend he is, and it was nice to see him on this trip.

“They actually caught me by surprise because I haven’t played cricket in 24 years, whatever it is, and the last time I hit a cricket shot was in Jamaica in 1994,” he explained. “The Premier was bowling at me, thankfully not too fast, and I could make a couple of shots.”

And while three-time major winner Els enjoyed the experience, he was more impressed with Lara’s golf game. The West Indies superstar is a 5-handicapper.

“With golf, he’s (Lara) a lot better now than he was -- obviously he’s got a lot more time on his hands now he’s retired,” Els said. “But he’s got a very good golf game, I’d like to get him into some celebrity tournaments in the U.S. because I think he could do some damage there.”

McDowell’s miss, meanwhile, came earlier in the day as he filmed an episode of the ‘The Golf Fix,’ the instruction show on the Golf Channel hosted by PGA Professional Michael Breed.

Discussing his putting routine on the 17th green and talking about the pressure of making the putts that made him U.S. Open champion, McDowell walked Breed through his routine from set-up to putting the ball into the hole.

Having sunk his first two attempts, McDowell’s third, which Breed told him was for “the 2010 PGA Grand Slam,” caught the left edge of the hole, rolled 360 degrees around the cup and then lipped out.

Cue mock distress from McDowell, and laughs from the crowd, who moments earlier had watched as Breed struggled over the pronunciation of Okemo Valley.

Okemo (O-key-ma) in Ludlow, Vt., is the home course of PGA of America President Jim Remy. And while it doesn’t look like a name that should leave anyone tongue-tied, it took Breed six takes to get it right.

This despite his insistence that “I haven’t made that mistake in four years, and I never mess something up five times in a row.”

Spectators were also given a quick lesson in playing out of the sand by Els, in hitting a fade off the tee by Martin Kaymer, and in hitting a hybrid 2-iron into the green from David Toms.

Toms apparently hasn’t had a 2-iron in his bag since his first year on the PGA Tour, when he ditched the club for a 5-wood. Lately, he’s been using a Cleveland hybrid, which he says gives him “greater versatility.”