Live From Port Royal

It's been an interesting two days at the 2010 PGA Grand Slam of Golf at Port Royal Golf Course in Bermuda. U.S. Open Champion Graeme McDowell hit a ball while standing barefoot in a lake on the 17th hole, PGA Champion Martin Kaymer spent most of his time on the beach (ya know, in the bunkers). 2001 PGA Champion David Toms shocked the gallery by pitching in from the fringe. Twice. And three-time major champion Ernie Els wowed the crowed with a tremendous birdie on 16 and a triumphant march to victory two holes later. I'll have a full report from the event shortly, but in the meantime, check out this video I shot and edited from Port Royal. As you'll see, it's one of the greatest golf courses anywhere in the world and not just because the bartenders serve a mean Dark n' Stormy (but they do, as you'll soon see). Sit back, turn up your speakers and watch as I tour Bermuda's finest golf course.

2010 PGA Grand Slam of Golf

It's a busy day here in Bermuda: Today marks the first official day of the 2010 PGA Grand Slam of Golf so I'll be covering the event all day at Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton. I've have a complete report of the tournament in the days to come, but in the meantime, you can read my round up of Bermuda's top three public golf courses over on my Outside Television blog, The Life Outside. Fore!

Shocker: Regis hates his Bermuda shorts!

Clearly the readers of Conde Nast Traveler aren't the only one's jazzed about Bermuda. As Bermuda Shorts reported yesterday, the island was recently voted the best in the Caribbean by the magazine's well-heeled readers—so to celebrate this grand achievement Bermuda and its tourism officials were presented an award from none other than talk show host extraordinaire Regis Philbin. He and Kelly Ripa gabbed about the awards presentation on yesterday's show talking about "love nobs" and "low-hanging" parts among other sexual innuendos. My favorite bit? When Rege describes the island as, "kinda British, very clean, friendly people," with jazz hands. Oh yeah, and that pair of Bermuda shorts he received as a gift from a tourism official? I have a feeling they're not his favorite.

And The Award Goes To...

Bermuda! And The Reefs! Again! For the second straight year the readers of Conde Nast Traveler have selected Bermuda as the top island in the Caribbean and Atlantic (over St. John, St. Barts and the British Virigin Islands, respectively) and The Reefs Hotel & Club as the top resort in the Atlantic (over Atlantis in the Bahamas, Parrot Cay in Turks & Caicos and One & Only Ocean Club also in the Bahamas). More than 25,000 readers participated in the much-anticipated survey, which has now included The Reefs on the Gold List for six consecutive years. Considering the beachfront resort recently invested millions of dollars to build a brand new fractional ownership property including its gorgeous new La Serena spa and upgrades to its restaurants and other areas around the hotel, the accolades from these well-heeled readers are well deserved (see above; that's The Reefs gorgeous pink sand beach in case you're wondering). That, and I just enjoyed a lovely dinner at Coconuts, the resort's open-air restaurant where you can listen to the waves crash on shore as you feast on an expertly prepared three-course meal. Divine. Care to experience it all for yourself? Then check out The Reef’s fantastic Endless Summer Deal, which includes five nights at the resort for the price of four. For more information check out the Reefs Specials. And don’t forget—Bermuda is only a two hour flight from most east coast gateways. Happy travels!

So Much For An Awesome Foursome

The PGA Grand Slam of Golf—a 36-hole tournament that tees off next Monday at Port Royal Golf Course in Bermuda—just got some very bad news from one of its star players. According to multiple sources including the PGA, Golf Digest and the Press Association, British Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen has pulled out of the tournament citing an ankle injury. Said a statement on the South African’s website: “Louis turned on his ankle while he was in South Africa for Charl Schwartzel’s wedding. He was doing some hunting during the trip and stepped in a pothole and damaged ligaments in his left ankle.” You just can’t make this stuff up. To make matters worse, Oosthuizen has been replaced by David Toms, a Shreveport, Louisiana resident who hasn’t collected a major victory in nearly a decade (his only title being the 2001 PGA Championship). If Toms’ PGA blog is any indication, clearly the 43-year-old golfer is thrilled to receive the elite tournament nod. Heck, if I was invited to compete on a beautiful island for a piece of a guaranteed $1.35 million purse I’d be pretty stoked too. But considering the PGA Grand Slam of Golf was recently dissed by Masters Champion Phil Mickelson—who turned down Port Royal’s invitation even after I wrote an impassioned open letter to persuade him to compete in Bermuda—this is the latest blow for the exclusive year-ending event. Which all just means we’ll be seeing U.S. Open Champion Graeme McDowell, PGA Champion Martin Kaymer, three-time major champion and Mickelson replacement Ernie Els and the aformentioned David Toms compete on Monday. Dear Ernie: It looks like the pot is all yours for the taking.