x
Skip to main content
Golf Logo
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
‘The vibe is hopeful’: Trevor Immelman describes wild Presidents Cup comeback
SHARE
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
Golf Logo
  • News
    • Latest
      • News
      • Features
      • Shows
      • PGA Tour Schedule
    • Series
      • Tour Confidential
      • Monday Finish
      • Hot Mic
      • Rogers Report
    • Shows
      • The Scoop
      • Subpar
      • Seen & Heard
  • Instruction
    • Game Improvement
      • Driving
      • Approach Shots
      • Bunker Shots
      • Short Game
      • Putting
      • Rules
      • Fitness
    • Series
      • Top 100 Teachers
      • Rules Guy
      • The Etiquetteist
    • Shows
      • Warming Up
      • Play Smart
      • Short Game Chef
      • Pros Teaching Joes
  • Gear
    • Clubs
      • Drivers
      • Irons
      • Hybrids
      • Fairway Woods
      • Wedges
      • Putters
    • Other Gear
      • Balls
      • Shoes
      • Apparel
      • Golf Accessories
    • Series
      • ClubTest
      • Winner’s Bag
    • Shows
      • Fully Equipped
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • Travel
      • Course Finder
      • Courses
      • Resorts
    • Lifestyle
      • Accessories
      • Celebrities
      • Food
      • Style
      • Betting Advice
    • Shows
      • Super Secrets
      • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Shop
      • Clubs
      • Shafts
      • Training Aids
      • Balls
      • Bags
      • Technology
      • Apparel
      • Accessories
      • Our Picks
      • Shop All
    • Collections
      • The GOLF Collection
      • The Birdie Juice Collection
      • The Fully Equipped Collection
      • Shop All
  • Newsletters
    • Sign Up for GOLF’s Newsletters
      • Hot Mic
      • Monday Finish
      • Play Smart
      • Our Picks
      • Top Stories
      • Sign Up for All
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Features
    • Shows
    • PGA Tour Schedule
  • Instruction
    • All Instruction
    • Driving
    • Approach Shots
    • Bunker Shots
    • Short Game
    • Putting
    • Rules
    • Fitness
  • Gear
    • All Gear
    • Drivers
    • Irons
    • Hybrids
    • Fairway Woods
    • Wedges
    • Putters
    • Balls
    • Shoes
    • Apparel
    • Golf Accessories
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • All Travel
    • All Lifestyle
    • Course Finder
    • Courses
    • Resorts
    • Accessories
    • Celebrities
    • Food
    • Style
    • Betting Advice
  • Series
    • Tour Confidential
    • Monday Finish
    • Hot Mic
    • Rogers Report
    • Rules Guy
    • The Etiquetteist
    • ClubTest
    • Winner’s Bag
  • Shows
    • The Scoop
    • Subpar
    • Seen & Heard
    • Warming Up
    • Play Smart
    • Short Game Chef
    • Pros Teaching Joes
    • Fully Equipped
    • Super Secrets
    • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Clubs
    • Shafts
    • Training Aids
    • Balls
    • Bags
    • Technology
    • Apparel
    • Accessories
    • The GOLF Collection
    • The Birdie Juice Collection
    • The Fully Equipped Collection
  • Newsletters
    • Hot Mic
    • Monday Finish
    • Play Smart
    • Top Stories
    • Our Picks
    • Sign Up for All
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
InsideGolf
News

‘The vibe is hopeful’: Trevor Immelman describes wild Presidents Cup comeback

By: Dylan Dethier
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Follow on Instagram
September 24, 2022
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
Trevor Immelman's International team rallied on Saturday afternoon at the Presidents Cup.

Trevor Immelman's International team rallied on Saturday afternoon at the Presidents Cup.

Getty Images

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Trevor, what’s the vibe like in the team room this afternoon — or tonight when you left — versus the first couple days?

It was a simple enough question lobbed in the direction of International team captain Trevor Immelman — but his answer could have gone any number of ways.

He began very literally.

“Pretty hungry. It’s been a long day,” he said. That made sense. Double sessions are exhausting. So are emotional roller coasters. But Immelman had a plan for that. Whatever the results, Immelman has had a plan for just about everything. “Don’t know if you smelled the Braai — I’m going to use the South African word. It’s South African evening tonight. So we specially brought in South African grills, and we’ve got some open fires going out on the range, and the boys are hungry, ready to eat.”

He continued. “The vibe is …” and then he trailed off. Paused. For a few seconds. Then a few more. Nearly 20 seconds passed before he chose the right word. How could he?

It’s been a week for Immelman’s squad. They arrived at Quail Hollow Club with heads held high, eager for the challenge of taking on the star-studded American team. And they’d gotten off to a disastrous start. Despite several close matches, they’d lost Thursday’s session 4-1. Despite several more they’d lost Friday’s session 4-1, too. They’d begun the week as hopeful underdogs. Now they were beaten, facing an insurmountable lead.

You could imagine the images racing through Immelman’s head as he searched for that word. Of the morning session, in which veteran leaders Hideki Matsuyama and Adam Scott rallied from 2 down to 3 up by winning five consecutive holes for a much-needed point. Of emotional leaders Tom Kim and K.H. Lee, who teamed up to take down World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and worthy partner Sam Burns. Of that same Tom Kim, who went directly from the end of that match to the first group of the afternoon and somehow kept his energy cranked to 11 until the very final hole, where he made a putt he’ll remember forever. Of Scott and his younger countryman Cam Davis celebrating a clutch birdie — and a clutch point — on the 18th green, as the sun fell behind the bleachers, knowing they’d given their side a fighting chance. Of months and years of preparation and anticipation that had led to this moment, the team meet-ups and bonding sessions, the captains’ planning and strategizing, all of it disrupted by LIV defections and a fractured International player base.

At last, Immelman found his word. “The vibe is hopeful,” he said. “The vibe is hopeful. Today was a big step for a very young and inexperienced team. Eight rookies. We’ve had a lot thrown against us, and we’re here competing against the best on their home turf.”

News
tom kim and max homa celebrate
Every Sunday Presidents Cup match, ranked and predicted
By: Zephyr Melton

The Internationals aren’t delusional. They knew where they stood post-round. Their team still owns a four-point deficit, seven points to the Americans’ 11, ready to do battle in singles against 12 of the most talented golfers on the planet. But if you didn’t know the score and had merely dropped in for their celebration on the 18th green, you wouldn’t have guessed they’re still massive underdogs. If you’d seen Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim riding away from a group of brand-new mega-fans, screaming in delight at their win, you wouldn’t have guessed the score. If you had walked past their team room a few minutes later to hear music blaring as the caddies entered, you would have wanted to join them. Tom Kim called it energy. Adam Scott called it momentum. Immelman called it hope. And he spoke, thoughtfully and methodically, laying out a scene that he thought best illustrated the situation.

“When it comes to Tom Kim, you know, this young kid has burst onto the scene in the last six months, and it has been such a tremendous gift to our sport,” he said.

“He has an ability to be a global superstar, this kid. I know he has the game. We’ve seen he has the game. But what I’ve learned about personality and his heart and what he stands for this week, man, I am a huge fan.

“I thought something that was so cool on the final hole today, he’s about 240 yards out. He’s probably 60 yards behind his opponents. He’s over the ball. I look back, I see the who’s who of American golf in golf carts behind him.

234 yards away. Match on the line. @JoohyungKim0621 gets close with a 2-iron on 18 @IntlTeam 🎯 pic.twitter.com/bkQz1HtIZt

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 24, 2022

“I see Thomas, I see Spieth, I see Finau, I see Homa, I see Morikawa, all of them sitting on carts 15 yards from him. And this kid pures a 2 iron to 10 feet and makes the putt. To me, that’s impressive stuff. No matter who you’re rooting for, that made my heart warm right there. So extremely proud of him today. He went out. He did his job. He earned two points. And that is fantastic.”

Time will tell whether Saturday afternoon’s rally was a sign of things to come for the International team — or as good as this week gets. But in the moment, it didn’t matter.

“Today was a good day for us,” he concluded.

Tomorrow will come when it does.

Latest In News

11 hours ago

After an emphatic PGA, Scottie Scheffler told the world his secret

11 hours ago

Even when there was doubt, PGA champ Scottie Scheffler had none

11 hours ago

Jon Rahm lost the PGA Championship, but it didn't look that way from up close

11 hours ago

Jon Rahm ‘embarrassed’ by PGA collapse. Charles Barkley’s wisdom brought solace

Dylan Dethier

Dylan Dethier

Golf.com Editor

Dylan Dethier is a senior writer for GOLF Magazine/GOLF.com. The Williamstown, Mass. native joined GOLF in 2017 after two years scuffling on the mini-tours. Dethier is a graduate of Williams College, where he majored in English, and he’s the author of 18 in America, which details the year he spent as an 18-year-old living from his car and playing a round of golf in every state.

  • Author Twitter Account
  • Author Instagram Account

Related Articles

News
Brandt Snedeker

Why is Brandt Snedeker the next American captain? We asked him

By: Sean Zak
News
Brandt Snedeker

2026 Presidents Cup captains revealed: Here's who will lead both teams

By: Sean Zak
News
scottie scheffler and tom kim shake hands during the 2024 presidents cup

All that Presidents Cup testiness? Here's Scottie Scheffler's take

By: Zephyr Melton
News
Wyndham Clark Si Woo Kim Saturday Presidents Cup match

That Tom Kim controversy? Wyndham Clark says there's more to the story

By: Dylan Dethier
News
Tom Kim celebrates putt at the 2024 Presidents Cup.

Caddie says U.S. players cursed at, 'got very personal' with Tom Kim at Presidents Cup

By: Josh Berhow
News
Jim Furyk

The Presidents Cup party? It featured Jim Furyk ... going 'freestyle' to Eminem

By: Nick Piastowski
News
pro golfer scottie scheffler swings driver on the first hole at the 2024 presidents cup in red shirt and gray pants

The Presidents Cup schedule raises an interesting NFL, TV question

By: James Colgan
News
Tom Kim, International team

Tom Kim and never-failing Tim Hortons: 50 Presidents Cup observations 

By: Nick Piastowski
News

Why Team USA's Presidents Cup win sets up a complex dilemma

By: Sean Zak
Sign up for GOLF's Newsletters
Get the latest news, the hottest instruction tips, new product releases, golf media insider reports and more delivered directly to your inbox. Choose your favorites now.
Sign Up
Categories
  • News
  • Instruction
  • Gear
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
Services
  • Masthead
  • GOLF Media Kit
  • GOLF Magazine Customer Service
  • TERMS OF SERVICE
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • Opt-out of Ads/Sharing
  • Your Privacy Choices
Social
  • facebook
  • x
  • instagram
  • youtube
Membership
InsideGOLF Logo
More than $140 Value for JUST $39.99

INCLUDES 12 SRIXON Z-STAR XV GOLF BALLS, 1 YR OF GOLF MAGAZINE, $20 FAIRWAY JOCKEY CREDIT - AND MUCH MORE!

LEARN MORE

© 2025 EB Golf Media LLC. An 8AM Golf Affiliated Brand. All Rights Reserved. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy a linked product, GOLF.COM may earn a fee. Pricing may vary.

Go to mobile version