Premier Ewart Brown condemned the people responsible for vandalising the Mid Ocean Golf Course shortly before Bermuda hosts the PGA Grand Slam of Golf.

Large letters, QLQ, were singed into the grass on the 13th green at the Mid Ocean Club last week — the same day it was announced that golf super star Tiger Woods withdrew from the tournament.

Meanwhile more than a dozen tickets have popped up for sale on a Bermuda online classifieds website since the announcement about Mr. Woods.

At a news conference today Dr. Brown, who is also Minister of Transport, said: "I am disappointed that a few Bermudians did not get the message that this is an all Bermuda effort.

"We have to be putting our best foot forward. This is a huge investment the country is making through the Department of Tourism.

"I am not sure what the letters were, I have heard QLQ, PLP. I do not give this any political weight whatsoever.

"It should not have been committed." One theory doing the rounds was the 'qlq' was 'plp' in reverse which the vandal thought would be seen the right way around through a camera lens.

Opposition Leader Michael Dunkley, a past president of the Mid Ocean Club, said: "I think people are trying to read too much into it — but some idiot vandalised the green. A world class event is coming our way so we need to give our support and rectify it and not give them any more publicity." He said the Opposition had fully supported the event from the beginning.

"The vandal is trying to pull us apart. They have got a problem with society." According to Mid Ocean superintendent Norman Furtado, careless vandals poured an unidentified substance on the green. And he now fears large letters that were singed into the turf may still be visible when some of the world's top golfers tee off at Mid Ocean Club on October 15.

Mid Ocean Club is set to host this year's PGA Grand Slam of Golf event October 15 to 17, which will see Masters champion Zach Johnson, US Open winner Angel Cabrera, British Open champion Padraig Harrington as well as the world's third-ranked player Jim Furyk. Furyk was a late replacement for PGA Champion Tiger Woods who withdrew last week from next month's event.

Since last weeks announcement that Mr. Woods would not be coming tickets to the event have popped up on E-Moo selling for approximately $150. Most of the sellers are trying to offload their three day pass, though some are trying to sell just Monday and Tuesday's passes for $45 a piece.

One international business executive said he was selling his tickets because he realised that he was just too busy to attend the three day event.

But he admitted: "Now if Tiger was coming maybe I could have found time in my schedule, but at the moment I am just too busy."