David Toms carded a four-under
67 Tuesday to grab a one-stroke lead after the first round of
the PGA Grand
Slam of Golf.
Toms, the 2001 PGA Champion, was added to the field when
British
Open champion
Louis Oosthuizen had to withdraw due to an ankle injury.
Three-time major champion Ernie Els is alone in second place at
Port Royal
Golf Club at minus-three. Els replaced Masters winner Phil
Mickelson, who is
skipping the event because of tendinitis.
U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell managed a one-over 73, while
PGA
Championship winner Martin Kaymer stumbled to a three-over
74.
Toms posted back-to-back birdies from the first to quickly move
to minus-two.
He later birdied the seventh and ninth to turn at
minus-four.
The 43-year-old pushed his lead to three strokes with a birdie
on the 10th.
However, Toms gave that stroke right back on 11.
Toms again traded a birdie for a bogey from the 12th. He stood
at four-under
with five holes to play, and closed with five straight
pars.
Els birdied the first and fifth, but tripped to a bogey on the
eighth. On the
back nine, he posted birdies on 11 and 18 to get within one
of Toms.
McDowell had two birdies and a bogey in the first five holes. He
struggled
early on the second nine as he faltered to a triple-bogey on
the par-four
11th.
The 31-year-old followed with a bogey on the 12th. McDowell got
back to one-
over par thanks to back-to-back birdies from the 17th.
Kaymer managed just a lone birdie at the third. He tripped to
bogeys at seven
and eight. On the back nine, the German also bogeyed 15 and
18 to post 74.
NOTES: Toms finished second to Tiger Woods at this event in
2001...Els took
third place in 1994, then beat Woods by three shots in
1997...Kaymer and
McDowell are making their first appearance at this
tournament.
