19th Hole
Trevor Immelman explains why he reacted the way he did to Greg Norman’s Presidents Cup well wishes
Captain of the Presidents Cup International side, Trevor Immelman, once described LIV Golf as a “giant pain in my a**.”
In an interview with GOLF’s Subpar podcast in August, he was then unaware of the exact make-up of the side he would lead at Quail Hollow, saying that with just a few weeks to go:
“I’m working the phones like crazy trying to learn as much as I can learn, speaking to players, caddies, agents, you name it, just trying to get a feel on where we’re going to be. It’s not great, and it’s not been great for Davis [Love III]. He’s got a couple of guys he’s concerned about, as well as me. It puts us in a tough spot and it puts the tournament in a tough spot.”
The International side, who have won just one, and tied the same number, of the 13 matches since 1994, had already been denied the services of Abraham Ancer, Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace and Charl Schwartzel with their defections to LIV, before confirmation that 2022 Open Championship winner Cam Smith was also making his way over to the Greg-Norman led series.
Imagine the South African’s reaction to a tweet put out by Norman just before the start of this year’s match – a year in which he was already under immense pressure with very few giving the visiting side any hope of winning their first Presidents Cup since 1998.
Outside of all this angst – golf is golf, competition is competition; something every golfer thrives on. As a former player & Captain of the International Team, I wish @TrevorImmelman & his entire team the very best in repeating our only 1998 @PresidentsCup success in Melbourne. pic.twitter.com/iwdELJpHfE
— Greg Norman (@SharkGregNorman) September 22, 2022
The reply was simple.
“LOL”, it read, simply.
In front of the media last Friday night, the 2008 Masters winner was asked to expand on his reply.
He took the request in his stride.
“Look, any of you that have known me for the longest time know that I’m an extremely open and honest person. I pretty much say it exactly as I’m thinking it. What I said was exactly what I was doing when I read that tweet: I was laughing out loud.”
Immelman continued, “I learned long ago that lying is dangerous because you’ve got to have a good memory. So I’d rather just tell the truth.”
More from the 19th Hole
- Ian Poulter accused of lacking ‘manners and common decency’ after post-round Wentworth incident
- Bryson DeChambeau thanks Tiger for creating LIV Golf
- Pat Perez’s wife throws shade on Cantlay, Schauffele’s Napa trip with since-deleted comment
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19th Hole
“Is it a Titleist?” – Jerry Seinfeld shares never-before-heard details of iconic scene
On Thursday, legendary comedian Jerry Seinfeld joined the Rich Eisen Show and shared an awesome story from a “Seinfeld” episode titled “The Marine Biologist.”
In the episode, a golf ball goes into the blow hole of a whale. According to Seinfeld, that was never in the episode’s script.
Seinfeld recalls saying the night before the filming of the episode, “What if what puts the whale in distress is Kramer’s golf ball?”
“He’s hitting golf balls at the beach. George is at the beach with a girl, we haven’t connected them!”
“We write that speech the night before at two o’clock in the morning…The sea was angry that day my friend.”
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Kramer finishes the iconic scene by asking “Is it a Titleist?” Seinfeld told Eisen the show sought Titleist’s permission to mention its name, saying the ball had to be a Titleist. Fortunately for lovers of the iconic show, the company agreed.
If (somehow) you’re unfamiliar with the scene, check it out below.
More from the 19th Hole
- Phil Mickelson drops big retirement hint; Says LIV will grow the game “on a much more global basis”
- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
- Tiger explains why golf has “negative connotations” for daughter Sam
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19th Hole
Phil Mickelson drops big retirement hint; Says LIV will grow the game ‘on a much more global basis’
While speaking with Bloomberg, golf legend Phil Mickelson acknowledged that he is inching close towards retirement.
“I’m 53 now,” Phil said, “and my career, you know, it’s — if I’m being truthful, it’s on — it’s — it’s — I’m a — it’s towards its end.”
Mickelson added that one of his focuses now is helping other young players.
“Now, I would like to help others find the same enjoyment and fulfillment that the game has provided me. I’d like them to experience that as well.”
The six-time major champion credited LIV with reaching new markets in golf to help it grow.
“I think that’s exciting for everyone involved in the game because we are going to reach markets that we didn’t reach before. I think it’s going to inspire more golf courses, inspire more manufacturers selling clubs and equipment, but also inspiring young kids to try to play golf professionally. I just see that the game of golf is going to grow on a much more global basis because of the excitement and the presence that LIV Golf has.”
Mickelson is playing at this week’s LIV Singapore and shot a first round 72 (+1).
More from the 19th Hole
- The wild reason why Mark Wahlberg was initially denied entry to an Australian golf club
- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
- Edoardo Molinari reveals the latest PGA Tour golfer to turn down ‘good offer’ from LIV Golf
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19th Hole
Tiger explains why golf has ‘negative connotations’ for daughter Sam
While Tiger Woods’ son, Charlie, has certainly inherited his father’s love for golf, his daughter, Sam, has not.
On Wednesday, Tiger made an appearance on The Today Show with Carson Daly and explained his daughter’s relationship with golf.
“Golf has negative connotations for her. When she was growing up, golf took daddy away from her. I had to pack, I had to leave, and I was gone for weeks. So, there were negative connotations to it.
“We developed our own relationship and our own rapport outside of golf. We do things that doesn’t involve golf. Meanwhile, my son and I, everything we do is golf related.”
The nine-minute interview touches on plenty of other subjects, such as Tiger’s relationship with his late father, Earl.
It’s arguably the most open we’ve seen the 15-time major champion in an interview and is most definitely worth watching.
Tiger Woods sits down with Carson Daly to talk about golf, growing up in Southern California, his father and his new apparel line, Sun Day Red. pic.twitter.com/2TFbSNxzxq
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) May 1, 2024
More from the 19th Hole
- The wild reason why Mark Wahlberg was initially denied entry to an Australian golf club
- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
- Edoardo Molinari reveals the latest PGA Tour golfer to turn down ‘good offer’ from LIV Golf
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