One year ago, Trevor Immelman was dealing with a parasite in his system that caused him to lose 25 pounds in three weeks. Immelman proceeded to miss four of the next six cuts. As Trevor said later, “I probably should have withdrawn from the Masters, but I just could not bring myself to do it.”
In December, Immelman was told he had a tumor under his rib cage. On December 18, 2007, the benign tumor was removed. He returned to action in February of this year at the FBR and missed the cut. He missed 2 more cuts then finished 65th at the PODS Championship. Immelman played three more events before this weekend. He finished in the forties twice and missed the cut last week at the Shell Houston Open.
Not a lot of strong signs leading into the 2008 Masters. So what gave Trevor Immelman the ability to win the Green Jacket?
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Gary Player – Since he was 5, Immelman’s Guidance Councilor has been Player. Through the ups and downs, Player has continually supported Trevor. Prior to this year’s Masters, Player and Trevor sat and talked about the past and the present. Immelman later said it relaxed him.
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Getting Sick – Immelman has always been one of those players that wanted success quickly. He has been a tireless worker and always put golf in the forefront of his life. After the cancer surgery, Trevor returned to golf with a new attitude and understanding. It was that change that gave him an understanding that winning is not everything. There was calmness in him this week different from ever before. There was a calmness that allowed Trevor to deal with the wind and the rain and the other competitors like never before.
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Playing with Brandt Snedeker – This was way more important than the others will ever discuss. Had Snedeker not birdied the 18th hole on Saturday, Trevor would have played with 40 year old, Steve Flesch. Playing with Snedeker for two days; playing with someone his age; playing with someone that smiled through all the adversity assisted greatly in Immelman’s success.
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Tiger’s Inability to Putt – I don’t ever remember Tiger misreading so many putts. For three days, he over-read everything; on Sunday, he looked like Phil Mickelson missing putts from 3 and 5 feet. Tiger Woods was 4 for 23 inside 40 yards. That has never happened before.
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The Course – there is no more charge on Sunday… For only the second time in 74 years, a player shot 75 and won the Green Jacket. It goes to show that the new Augusta is nothing like the old. Only 4 players shot under par on Sunday. Now you can say it was the weather, but to use that would be to say that there was never bad weather before on a Sunday at Augusta… and that’s not true.
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Finally – it was Trevor’s Turn… Call it fate; call it luck, but on Saturday, 16 years to the day that Fred Couples hit a shot on 12 that miraculously stayed on the bank and did not roll back into Ray’s Creek,Immelman hit a shot that should never had stayed out of the water on 15. A shot that turns the entire tournament around - it hung up on the slope. Call it intervention, call it whatever you want, but call it a Green Jacket for South African Trevor Immelman.
See you at The Players.
