Immelman Ready to Defend at Augusta

Drawing praise from many of his peers for his victory, Tiger Woods remarked, “It was just a matter of when with Trevor. He has all the talent in the world. He was always going to come through one day. I expect him to hang around.”

At the hockey game, Immelman appeared as just another fan, sporting a Lightning jersey that he got future Hall of Famer and former Bolts captain Dave Andreychuk to autograph. I caught up with the reigning Masters Champion at the game that night for a brief interview over a couple of cold ones:

FGC: Will you prepare for The Masters any differently than you did last year?

TI: Not really. I will play a few events and keep the same practice regimen. There are more constraints on my time these days though.

FGC: In which events do you plan on playing prior to The Masters?

TI: I will play most of the Florida swing: WGC at Doral, The Transitions Championship at Innisbrook and Arnold’s event at Bay Hill.

FGC: Which of the majors do you consider the most difficult?

TI: I’m not really sure you can say one is harder than the other. They are all difficult in their own right. The Open (British) always has weather. The US Open length is always a factor. You have to be long and straight. They are all good tests of golf.

FGC: When do you get to the point when you realize you’re good enough to win a major?

TI: It really comes from overall experience and playing in those events. The more you play in them and the more success you have, the more you believe in yourself.

FGC: So, how big a hockey fan are you?

TI: I like the sport a lot. I’m still learning some of the rules and such. I really liked it when the Lightning won The Cup a few years ago.

FGC: How cool was it to have a Hall of Fame hockey player sign your jersey a few minutes ago?

TI: AWESOME! He’s a great guy!

FGC: So, can you give us any hints as to what will be on the menu for the Champions’ Dinner this year?

TI: It will definitely be a South African theme. That’s all I can say about it.

FGC: Will you be doing the cooking?

TI: (Chuckle) NO WAY! I’m NOT cooking. I’ll cook a little at home but I’m not fixing that meal.

It made total sense for Trevor Immelman to perform the ceremonial puck-drop at the Tampa Bay Lightning game March 3rd.

After all, both figures, the Lightning as a whole and Immelman, reached the summit of their respective sports by flying well under the radar. In 2004 the Bolts won the Eastern Conference Championship by beating the mighty Flyers in seven games and then went on to win the Stanley Cup Finals. No one saw that coming when the season began that year. In January, 2008 No one could have predicted Immelman to win The Masters; perhaps not even the man himself.

A few short months before the azaleas were blooming at Amen Corner, Mr. Immelman was concerned that he might have developed cancer. Doctors had removed a golf ball-sized tumor from his diaphragm. Luckily, the mass was benign and within a few weeks, Trevor was back to the grind on the PGA Tour. By mid-April, the 28 year-old South African who resides in Orlando, became the only current player in his 20’s to hold a major championship, staving off the world’s Number 1 and a who’s who of golfing royalty.