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Only four guys a year are invited to play in the PGA Grand Slam of Golf at Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, Bermuda.

Known as the toughest exemption in golf, you’re only invited to play in the Grand Slam if you have won a major championship. Of course, the major champions don’t always show, in which case the top finishers from the majors not to have won, would be ask.

I’m looking at you, Tiger and Phil.

However, this year all four major champions are there – Charl Schwartzel, Rory McIlroy, Darren Clarke and Keegan Bradley. Making the trip all the more simple, three of the four (Schwartzel, McIlroy and Clarke) are represented by the same agency, making for a fun and relaxed business trip.

Plus, the two rounds of golf and a guaranteed $200K isn’t a bad incentive either.

With the Grand Slam of Golf comes the official start of the Silly Season. Sure, there’s still the Disney this week, but after that there is nothing worthwhile going on on American soil, except for maybe Tiger’s Chevron World Challenge in December.

Anyway, the event got underway today and Bradley and McIlroy are clearly in a class above Schwartzel and Clarke this week. The youngsters – both under the age of 26 – shot 4-under par 67s to start the event.

Bradley lit up the front nine, sinking putts from everywhere, including two eagles on the par-5 second and seventh holes and shooting 6-under 30. His long-putter cooled on the back nine, shooting 2-over 37, as McIlroy kicked it into high gear.

McIlroy was having some trouble reading the grainy sea-side greens, but after birdies on three of the last five holes, McIlroy was all square with Bradley.

“I gave myself so many chances on the front nine and didn’t really make anything. Started to hole a of putts on the back nine but played very, very well,” he said.

“The greens that I have been putting on the last couple of weeks have been a little different to the greens here,” McIlroy explained. “I had not really been factoring in the grain as much but it plays a huge part on these greens. I finished really, really well … so, to draw level with him (Bradley) after the first day was nice.”

As for the other two, Schwartzel shot a 3-over par 74 to sit seven shots back, perhaps in part to his 30 hour flight from South Africa. Clarke, on the other hand, couldn’t get anything going en route to a 6-over par 77.

As per usual, Clarke was engaging all day and honest about his play.

“It was crap. It was absolute crap. And I didn’t come all the way here to play that bad. So obviously disappointed,” Clarke said.

“Obviously I’m disappointed,” he said. “I’m struggling with my swing and I’m struggling with my ball-striking. So, if you mix that with putting equally bad, that usually doesn’t add up to a good score.”

The second round of the Grand Slam will be broadcast on TNT on Wednesday from 4-8 p.m. If you’re off work, take in the event. Even if it just is a made-for-TV money-grab, the players are mic’d and with Darren Clarke, you’re sure to have a few laughs.