CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Remember that feeling you got as a kid during the holidays or a birthday where you just couldn’t wait to open your presents? Trevor Immelman equated that same emotion to the vibe around his International team ahead of the 2022 Presidents Cup this week.
“It’s kind of like Christmas morning when you can’t wait to open your presents up. That’s what I’m seeing from these kids walking into the team room for the first time (Monday night),” said Immelman on Tuesday at Quail Hollow Club. “So that’s what’s fun for guys like me and (Adam Scott) and the captains, (Hideki Matsuyama), that have been here before. It’s good to see that excitement out of them.”
Like the six captains to come before him, the South African has been tasked with meshing together a team of 12 players – eight of which are rookies – from seven different countries for one week of play.
“He’s been passionate about us being as prepared as possible. To the dinners we’ve had, to the trip we had out here a couple weeks ago, to just even earlier this week the last couple of days, it’s just been eyes forward,” said rookie Cam Davis of how Immelman has prepared the squad for the week. “We’ve got a job to do. We’ve got the best chance we’ve ever had to do it with the preparation we’ve got and the strategy we’ve got in place to try to make it all work.”
“It’s one of the areas that’s been quite a hurdle for us over the years, trying to make sure that everybody is comfortable together,” explained Immelman. “Like you’re blending seven or eight cultures and trying to get everybody in their sweet spot.”
Meet the teams: Americans | Internationals
The International squad is starting to see the results of that culture being built, especially with regard to Joohyung “Tom” Kim. The 20-year-old from Seoul, South Korea, is making his debut for the Internationals in their biennial bout with the Americans after a PGA Tour season last year that featured 10 made cuts in 11 starts with six top-25 finishes and a win at the 2022 Wyndham Championship last month. Kim’s youthful exuberance has been key for the Internationals, who are looking to win on foreign soil for the first time in the Cup’s 28-year history.
“And for a guy like Tom Kim to be able to be hanging out with Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama in the team room last night, I mean, I wish you could have seen the kid’s face,” Immelman said with a smile….
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