- Trevor Immelman is a successful South African-born golfer who began wielding the golf stick at a very tender age
- The PGA star stems from a golfing family. Moreso, his father Johan used to be the commissioner of the Sunshine Tour in South Africa
- Immelman married his high school sweetheart in 2003 and the couple is blessed with 2 kids, a boy, and a girl
Trevor Immelman is a 45-year-old South African professional golfer who started playing golf at a very young age.
The father of 2 made his professional debut in 1999 and has so far played on the PGA Tour, European Tour, and Sunshine Tour, winning his sole major championship in 2008.
Early Life Background of Trevor Immelman
The professional golfer was born Trevor John Immelman on the 16th of December 1979 in Cape Town, South Africa to his parents Johan Immelman and June Immelman. He had his early childhood education at Hottentots Holland High School and is the last of 3 siblings; Mark Immelman and Michelle Greeff.
Trevor’s choice of golf was likely influenced by his family as a good number of persons in his family are in one way or the other involved with golf.
All You need to Know about Immelman’s Career
Immelman developed an affinity for golf when he was just 5 or 6 years old. He however started playing professionally in 1999. Prior to his professional debut, the golfer enjoyed support from his family immediately he showed interest to be a golfer. His dad built green in the front yard of their home in Soth Africa. The green which included a bunker and floodlights was to assist the young lad in practicing at home.
Trevor’s father was also said to have been ensuring that his son does not miss important matches. As an amateur, Trevor notably bagged the Rolex Junior Classic in 1995 during his AJGA debut. He was also able to reach the U.S Junior Amateur Championship in 1997. He was also able to impressively win the U.S Amateur Public Links in the year 1998.
He Went Pro in 1999
Trevor’s victory at the U.S Amateur Public Links in 1998 brought his amateur days to a close as he started playing professionally in 1999 and became featured in the 2nd tier professional tour in Europe till 2000
In the same 2000 while on the European Tour, the player was able to bag 4 wins. He was notably celebrated as the first man to successfully defend the South African Open title.
After successfully defending the south African Open title, the player went on to win the WGC-World Cup for South Africa while partnering with Rory Sabbatini in 2003. Trevor also won the sunshine Tour of Merit between 2002/2003.
Trevor Immelman’s PGA Tour
The golfer’s quantum leap in the PGA Tour was when he won his first PGA Tour event at the Cialis Western Open. This pushed Trevor to the top 15 according to the official World Golf Rankings.
2006 initially started off as an interesting year for him. He notably won the Rookie of the year and was in the top 10 on the PGA Tour money list. The player was however later grounded by health challenges that caused him to miss out on some games. Trevor consequently witnessed a 5 years winless streak. He also could not participate in the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Following the conclusion of the player’s 5 years winless streak, he was compelled to play in the Web.com Tour Finals. He impressively won the Hotel fitness championship. He also finished in 6th place in the finals, regaining his PGA Tour card for 2014.
Trevor Immelman’s Sporting Career Spills to Broadcasting
Immelman is not only successful as a golf player. he has also worked as a sports analyst on different platforms. From 2017 through 2019, the golfer worked for Turner Sports as an analyst covering the PGA Championship on TNT. Similarly, Trevor was part of the PGA Tour on the CBS commenting team.
He has Been Married to Carminita for 22 Years
Johan Immelman tied the knot with his high school sweetheart Carminita Immelman on the 6th of December 2003. Not only are the couple high school sweethearts, but they are also said to be each other’s, first love. Johan and Carminita are currently blessed with 2 kids; Jacob who loves to play golf just like his father and his little sister Badger.
According to reports, the power couple first met at Hottentots Holland High School in Western Cape while they were still teenagers.
SEE ALSO: Sepp Straka: 7 Interesting Things About The Golfer
How Rich is He?
The south-African born golfer is known to have Career earnings of over $12 thousand. Moreso, his total net worth is projected to be around $10 million. Though golf is his major source of income, he also makes money from several endorsement deals.
As to how he spends his money, the golfer is reported to have bought a quite expensive mansion previously owned by Jeff Faine in 2016. The house is located in Winter Park, Florida, U.S.
Interesting Facts About the Trevor Immelman
1. He was Born to a Golfing Family
45-year-old is surrounded by an interesting family of golfers. First of all, his father Johan was the commissioner of Sunshine Tour in South Africa. Prior to that, he is said to have been a gymnast and rugby player and he began playing golf at the age of 19. He has notably served as the Canadian Tour’s board member from 2009 to 2012. Jonan is further a recipient of the 2016 Father of the Year honor.Similarly, his older brother Mark who happens to be the oldest of Jonan’s kids is a golf coach, sportscaster, and author. Moreso, he has served as the Director of golf at Columbus State University. He currently covers live golf for the PGA Tour on their live-streaming mobile app and handles PGA Tour Live on Sirius XM PGA RAdio for Golf Channel and CBS Sports.
2. Trevor Immelman has Suffered Much Set Back Due to Health Challenges
Immelman could not carry on with the South African Airways Open on the 13th of December 2007 because of the serious discomfort he had around his ribcage area. The golf star was also said to be battling breathing problems which made him undergo surgery where doctors discovered a lesion nearly the size of a golf ball on his diaphragm.
The lesion was later diagnosed to be a calcified fibrosis tumor. It was again said to be benign after more tests were conducted. His treatments made him miss the first 8 weeks of the 2008PGA Tour season. Be that as it may, the player was able to return in the same year and win the 2008 Masters Tournament.
Similarly, Trevor announced in 2009 that he would withdraw from the U.S Open due to tendonitis in his left wrist and elbow. The condition affected a better part of his 2009 and 2010 seasons.
3. He Withdrew from the 2006 Open Championship Because He was Expecting His First Child
Not many athletes and celebrities are able to suspend their very important schedules in order to to be present at their children’s birth. For Trevor, family comes first before any other thing. He proved this by withdrawing in the year 2006 to be available for the birth of his first child Jacob.
4. Immelman has an Impressive Career Record
Apart from his 1997 and 1998 amateur wins with the South African Amateur and U.S Amateur Public Links, he has also notably set a record by scoring a hole-in-one in 2005 at the 16th hole. While his highest career ranking is at No. 12, some of his other honors include
- Eisenhower Trophy – 1998
- Sunshine Tour – 2002/2003
- World Cup – Winners of 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2007
- Presidents Cup – 2005 & 2007
- PGA Tour – 2006
5. How Tall is He?
The golfer stands at a decent height of 5’9″ (1.75 meters). He also weighs 170 lb (77kg). Studies have shown that the most productive height on the PGA Tour is 6ft. Since Trevor is within this range, his height may have been an added advantage for his impressive play.
Even though Trevor Immelman has had many setbacks in his career as a result of health challenges, he has not let the unfortunate occurrences hold him back. We are expecting to see more impressive wins from the player, husband, and father who has hitherto played on the PGA tour.
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