Trevor Immelman has never had much luck in the U.S. Open, but he is playing in the perfect place to change that this week.
Immelman comes to Torrey Pines for the U.S. Open not only as a major champion, but also as a player who has won a USGA championship here before.
That was 10 years ago, when Immelman won the 1998 U.S. Amateur Public Links at Torrey Pines with a 3 and 2 victory over Jason Dufner. Much has changed since then, according to Immelman, who won The Masters in April, especially the course.
And with those changes goes any advantage Immelman may have had after winning here before.
“I don’t feel like there’s much of an advantage because the course has changed so much and it was 10 years ago,” he said. “It was just so long ago. The course is a lot longer and the other major thing is that the greens are a lot more severe and undulating and there are a lot more plateaus to the greens.”
Despite the changes, Immelman is still happy to return to the location of his amateur triumph.
“It’s fantastic to be back here. I love California,” he said. “I’ve always enjoyed the golf course. Obviously the views are spectacular. I’ve enjoyed playing the course. I think it’s going to be a great week.”
Immelman comes to the season’s second major after having a great week at the first. He opened The Masters with three rounds in the 60s and held on in the final round to win the green jacket and capture his first major.
All the talk at Augusta was of a Tiger Woods Grand Slam despite the fact that a shot had yet to be hit in a major for the season. Now Immelman is the only one who can accomplish the feat but it hasn’t been mentioned at all here at Torrey Pines this week. In fact, the thought hadn’t crossed Immelman’s mind either before he was asked about it.
“I would be the happiest guy on earth if I did it over the span of a career,” Immelman said of the slam. “I have not even for one second thought about that, no.”
Immelman is coming into the U.S. Open off of his best performance since The Masters. He lost in a playoff to Justin Leonard at the St. Jude Championship last week, so his game appears to be rounding into form. His win at Augusta has also added confidence.
“I think the biggest thing it gave me is that I proved to myself that if I play my best golf, I can win any tournament,” Immelman said. “That’s what I took from that victory. It’s just trying to find a way to play my best golf more often, you know?
