Immelman holds on


AUGUSTA, Ga. — This wasn't a golf tournament. The Masters turned out to be a demolition derby.

Trevor Immelman dented a fender in the final round Sunday, but you should see the other guys.

This course was tough enough without the 25 mph wind gusts that made it impossible to command the ball on so many holes. Brandt Snedeker, Steve Flesch and Paul Casey, the only guys who really stood much of a chance when the day began barring a total implosion by Immelman, will need to visit the body shop after this one.

The carnage was unbelievable.

Immelman shot 3-over par on Sunday, his only round above 69 in the tournament, but still finished with a three-stroke victory at 68-68-69-75 -- 280. It's his first major and the city of Columbus can claim a piece of it.

Immelman's brother, Mark, the golf coach at Columbus State, and Mark's wife Tracy, were among the family members waiting out the scorer's tent on No. 18.

Imagine how all of this will play in Immelman's native South Africa.

The country will probably shut down and celebrate and probably even declare a Trevor Immelman Day.

He's the first golfer from the nation to win the Masters since Gary Player claimed his third in 1978. Oddly enough, Player said a couple years ago that Immelman possessed the game to win at Augusta and would eventually eclipse fellow countrymen Ernie Els and Retief Goosen.

Immelman's wake-up call for a championship actually came Saturday night.

His cell phone rang. It was Player, who was about to be heading back to South Africa, calling to tell Immelman to bring it home. Player has known Immelman since he was 5 years old. Players words were along these lines: There will be bad breaks, but I know you're going to win.

Turns out the 72-year-old knew what he was talking about.

‘‘It meant an awful lot,’’ Immelman said. ‘‘I played it to my whole family on speaker phone.’’