Former Masters champion Trevor Immelman has replaced Sir Nick Faldo as a TV golf commentator for CBS on the PGA Tour.
The 43-year-old South African, who has stepped away from the game in a playing capacity following a spate of injuries, took over commentating duties full-time at last week’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.
Immelman, who won twice on the PGA Tour, including the 2008 Masters, and captained the Rest of the World team at last year’s Presidents Cup, becomes just the fifth person to serve as CBS’s lead analyst, following in the footsteps of Ken Venturi, Lanny Wadkins and most recently Nick Faldo, who stepped down in August after 16 years in the role.
Immelman first dabbled in TV work when injuries and poor form hit in 2017, and a Golf Channel producer convinced him to do a try out at that year’s Wyndham Championship, and a new chapter in his career began.
Speaking in an interview with Golf Week, Immelman said: “I love the sport of golf so much, I was trying to think of ways that I could still stay involved and stay a big part of it, and fortunately, that’s when I got the opportunities to dip my toe in the water for TV,” he said. “I thoroughly enjoyed it. I could feel the energy. At the tournament, I felt the excitement and the adrenaline rush of trying to find the right words to explain to the viewer what was going on with the action.”
Immelman believes his experience of the highs and lows of professional golf will serve him well in his new role.
“I wasn’t an elite player, but I was decent player, and I know what it takes to play at the top level,” he said. “But then I also have all the experiences of being on the other side, where it’s not quite going your way, where you’re struggling to keep your card. And it’s two different worlds, I can promise you. And what I have to bring to the table as a commentator is the understanding of both sides of the spectrum. I have a real passion for the game and love for the game, so hopefully I can find a way to tell those stories with the appropriate energy and enthusiasm to where people at home enjoy it.”
He added: “I’m going to be myself and I’m going to be honest. If there’s something that I see that a player or a caddie or a coach or anything that’s happening on air takes place that I disagree with, or if I have an opinion on, I’m going to go ahead and call it – that’s my job. And if I don’t do that, we’re going to have millions of fans sitting at home who can see that and call me out. So, it’s up to me to make sure that I go ahead and be honest.”