Like all budding golfers, Trevor Immelman had a hero to look up to. And like only a handful of budding golfers, Immelman emulated his hero.
Being South African, there could be no other inspiration for Immelman than Gary Player, a three-time US Masters champion. And while Player was missing the cut in his 51st Masters appearance, Immelman went on to take the Green Jacket.
The 2006 USPGA Rookie of the Year did it in style as well, keeping his cool as others fell around him and hanging on to an overnight lead with Tiger Woods chasing hard after him.
In the end Woods, who finished second by three strokes, was never really in it as Immelman, who only five months ago was being operated on, marched to victory.
The story of Player’s voicemail to Immelman after the third round is now sure to become part of golfing folklore. Player, after his two rounds, flew to the Middle East for business but left a message on Immelman’s voicemail encouraging him to go on and become the second South African to win the Masters. Immelman told journalists:
“It gave me goosebumps because … he told me that he believed in me and I need to believe in myself. And he told me I’ve got to keep my head a little quieter when I putt. He said I’m just peeking too soon. He told me to just go out there and be strong through adversity, because he said that adversity would come today and I just had to deal with it.â€
Woods appeared to be preparing a final-day assault on the lead after his third round of 68. However, his struggles over the first two rounds were too much to overcome and he ended the last day with 72 for a total of five-under-par 283.
Immelman’s 75 on the last day was good enough for eight-under 280. Stewart Cink and Brandt Snedeker tied for third on 284. Cink closed with 72 while Snedeker ruined his title chances with a 77.
Phil Mickelson, Padraig Harrington and Steve Flesch were two strokes back in fifth place with two-under 286.
For Immelman, the joys of a Green Jacket are far removed from the trials of life 15 months ago when he had to have a golf-ball sized tumour removed from his diaphragm.
It was non-cancerous but the operation to remove it involved slicing open his back and muscles to remove the tumour, which had to be dug out from between his ribs.
As he recuperated, he was not to know that in a few months he would be making golfing history. He didn’t even make the cut in his first three tournaments back but the Masters had a special magic.
“I was just so out of it at the time that you could have shot me in the leg and I wouldn’t have known about it. One minute, the week before, I’m winning a golf tournament and the next week I’m lying in a hospital bed, and you just realise that it just can get taken away so fast.â€
Immelman, who took a two-stroke lead after the third round, was poised to go five ahead on the seventh hole on Sunday with a three-foot birdie putt. However, he wavered by missing the putt and then appeared to lose his way with a six on the next hole.
After saving par on the ninth, he negotiated Amen Corner with aplomb and never again looked like he would throw the title away.
The Masters on the final 9 holes Sunday afternoon used to be very exciting. 13&15 used to offer a rich reward/risk decision for those with a chance to win. Now since the changes to “Tigerproof” the course nobody goes for the green in two. What a shame.!
I was annoyed at the response in my paper(The Montreal Gazette) to Immelman’s win. They came close to blaming the players for for the debacle those who run the Master’s made of that Tournament. Who wants to see the top golfers in the world reduced to barely tapping their putts from 3-4 feet with little hope of controlling where it goes. Add to that the course set-up which made no allowance for thw wind which they knew was going to be very strong!