A Presidential Challenge

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA | Trevor Immelman, who is charged with captaining the International team against the statistically superior U.S. team in the Presidents Cup matches at Quail Hollow Club this week, doesn’t need any motivational material.

The David-Goliath thing is out there for the world to see, and Immelman isn’t ducking it. There’s no use in hiding from the obvious.

For anyone interested in bucking the odds, Immelman offers his own story as an example of what can happen.

“I’m from a small town in Cape Town, South Africa – Somerset West,” Immelman said. “What are the chances a kid from Somerset West would grow up to win on the European Tour, win on the PGA Tour, win the Masters, play in the Presidents Cup, become a team captain and end up the lead golf analyst on CBS?

“It's a long shot when you look at it that way. It’s kind of mind-blowing.”

Therein lies the underpinning of Immelman’s detailed preparation for changing the lopsided course of the biennial matches that have been dominated by the American side sin...