GOLF fans in Bermuda will be hoping Tiger Woods will bring his number one game this weekend when he competes in the last major of the year, the PGA Championship being played at Southern Hills, Tulsa, Oklahoma in what is expected to be suffocating heat. This will be the last chance Woods will have to qualify for the Grand Slam of Golf being staged in Bermuda for the first time in October at the Mid Ocean layout.

Premier Dr. Ewart Brown will be on hand at Southern Hills and is keeping his fingers crossed that the world number one will come away with a victory.

He said yesterday: "I'll be pulling for Tiger again this time, but even if he doesn't win we'll still have a world class foursome to participate in a world class event and it will all happen right in our backyard."

So far this year the majors have been won by first timers. Zach Johnson won the coveted green jacket at the Masters while Argentina's Angel Cabrera produced a stunning victory at the US Open at Oakmont in Pennsylvania. The third major, the Open, was won by Irishman Padraig Harrington at Carnoustie in Scotland last month.

Mid Ocean vice-president David Ezekiel who has been working flat out to prepare for the Grand Slam of Golf, said this week: "Clearly the focus is going to rest on whether Tiger claims his first major of the season or whether we will have another year with four first-time major winners, as we did when Tiger last failed to win a major four years ago."

And Ezekiel is hoping Woods produces the form which saw him easily win on Sunday at the Bridgestone Invitational at the long Firestone layout. "Tiger looked great last week when winning at Firestone by eight shots and hopefully he can maintain the momentum and have the putts and chips continue to go in as they did last Sunday. But, as he said after the event, the fields are getting deeper in terms of quality and there are 98 of the top 100 in the world at Tulsa so there are a host of possible winners."

And even if Woods doesn't win this weekend Ezekiel pointed out that he could still qualify for the October 36-hole event at Mid Ocean.

He said: "Let's not forget that if Johnson, Cabrera or Harrington win this weekend and Tiger has any sort of finish, he would probably be the highest qualifier for the Grand Slam."

Ezekiel said all the world's best will have to be on their toes if they want to win this weekend. "Temperatures are set to soar so patience and concentration will be at a premium and that certainly plays for Tiger as he is mentally very strong and focused. Ernie (Els) did well at Carnoustie and Vijay (Singh) and Phil (Mickelson) will probably also feature. I think Zach Johnson will have a good chance as the course favours a draw, and Andres Romero is in a rich vein of form and could easily figure. But whoever comes we have a fantastic event to look forward to. Padraig (Harrington) was a wonderful addition to the field as Sergio (Garcia) would have been . . . we really have a treat ahead of us in terms of quality golf."

As for getting the Mid Ocean course ready, Ezekiel said: "Preparations are going well ¿- we still need more marshals, especially golfers, and David Smith is handling that area so he is the contact via Anne Walsh, Club Secretary at Mid Ocean."

Premier Brown departed Bermuda this week for the tournament and he and his wife Wanda will be guests of the PGA.

Dr. Brown said: "I have been really looking forward to this tournament because when it ends the planning for the Grand Slam in Bermuda goes into overdrive. No matter who fills the final spot on the scorecard this PGA tournament will be a blockbuster for Bermuda, particularly for the tourism industry."

But Dr. Brown will not just be watching the action in Oklahoma over the weekend. Glenn Jones, his press secretary, said: "While in Tulsa the Premier is scheduled to address about 200 members of the golf media on Friday evening to discuss Bermuda's function as host for the 2007 PGA Grand Slam of Golf. TNT sports, the television partner for the tournament, will also present its Bermuda-based broadcast strategy on Friday."

Opposition leader, Michael Dunkley, who like the Premier is an avid golfer and is also pulling for Woods, said yesterday that while he is very busy he will be keeping a close eye on how things go in Oklahoma.

Dunkley, a past president of Mid Ocean Club, said: "I certainly focus on all the majors because that is where the cream rises to the top and certainly that is where the toughest competition takes place."

With temperatures expected to reach over 100 degrees during the tournament, Dunkley said he believed that those conditions favour the golfer who is in the best condition, physically and mentally.

He said: "Obviously everybody knows there is no better conditioned golfer than Tiger Woods and that is another piece which will help him win a major this year and ultimately give him the opportunity to come to Bermuda."

Of Woods' victory last weekend, Dunkley said: "Tiger Woods is obviously the best golfer in the world and in my opinion he is the number one athlete out of any sport. He is head and shoulders above everybody else and it will be great to see him come to Bermuda and see how he does at the Mid Ocean. Tiger always rises to the top when the conditions gets tough. And they will be tough in Oklahoma. He focusses on the majors and arranges his schedule so that he will peak at the majors."

Dunkley is no slouch himself with the sticks. He said: "I don't have time to play that much these days but I have played golf for a long time. When I got involved in politics in 1999 I was a plus two (handicap). But since I don't play as much now my handicap is probably a four. If I practise I would probably get it back down to a two. Let's put it this way, if I played the Premier he would be begging for strokes . . . but I wouldn't give him any!"

On Saturday afternoon the Premier is scheduled to meet with PGA President Brian Whitcomb and PGA Chief Executive Officer Joe Steranka.

Press secretary Jones said: "They will discuss the PGA-Bermuda partnership and will also talk about preparations for the Grand Slam at the Mid Ocean Club. The Premier hopes the newly formed partnership with the PGA will serve as a fresh and exciting way to promote Bermuda's golf and spa season from November to March. Historically those months of the year have not produced strong results for the hospitality industry and the Premier is working to change that trend and believes the PGA can help."

The Premier said: "Working with the PGA has been a fantastic experience. They are well organised and seem poised to make golf a success in Bermuda. I'm really looking forward to working with the PGA in the future. I expect the Grand Slam will be a great milestone for our country as we continue to revitalise our tourism product from January to December and from top to bottom."

Earlier this year, the Premier attended the Masters Championship where he was part of the gallery of fans following his favourite player Tiger Woods.

The Grand Slam will be available to a television audience in 100 countries, including 89 million households in the United States. "It is seen as an unparalleled marketing opportunity for the Department of Tourism," added Jones.