In a sign of what to expect over the next year and a half before the 2021 Presidents Cup is played, Trevor Immelman touched base with Ernie Els on Monday just hours before he was scheduled to be named the next International team captain.
As Immelman explained during a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, Els probably won’t have an official role with the team next year at Quail Hollow Club but the legacy that he started last year in Australia will continue.
Much like the American task force following the Ryder Cup loss in 2014, Els – and now Immelman – planned to focus less on building a winning team and more on building a winning team room.
“Ernie decided he needed to find a way to create a family dynamic in our team. Over the years that might have been something that was missing from our team,” Immelman said. “It’s difficult when you have players coming from seven or eight different countries.”
Immelman, who served as one of Els’ assistant captains last year at Royal Melbourne, said his role as captain evolved “organically” and the focus will continue to be “looking further down the road and creating some kind of identity.” He also said he met with Els shortly after last year’s matches, which the U.S. won, 16-14, to fine tune the blueprint they created in Australia.
“Ernie really went out of his way to get that unity in one group. We learned a lot about ourselves and it’s something that worked in our favor," Immelman said." It translated onto the golf course."