Immelman sought PGA Tour explanation for Oosthuizen’s Presidents Cup ban
International captain Trevor Immelman said he asked the PGA Tour why Louis Oosthuizen, who resigned his membership before it became known that he joined LIV Golf, could not be part of his squad for this week’s Presidents Cup.
Oosthuizen, who has played in the last four editions of the Presidents Cup, had hoped that by resigning from the PGA Tour, which runs the Presidents Cup, he would remain eligible for the match-play event at Quail Hollow Club.
The PGA Tour has suspended members who competed in LIV Golf events from playing on the US-based circuit and said anyone else who makes the jump will face the same fate.
But since there is no rule that says a golfer must be a member of the PGA Tour to be on the International team at the match-play event, Immelman, whose team has been hit hard by LIV Golf defectors, sought an explanation about Oosthuizen.
“My understanding is that he made particular announcements and allowed himself to be used in different marketing campaigns and announcements once he was not given the release from the PGA Tour,” Immelman told reporters at Quail Hollow Club.
“And he did all of those things before he resigned his membership. So there were still particular infractions there.”
While Immelman admitted he was disappointed to have lost key players due to their desire to join LIV Golf, he said he was not blindsided by their moves and that they kept him in the loop throughout their decision-making process.
“Every single player that I spoke to from early on in this process knew exactly what the situation and the consequences were going to be,” Immelman said.
“And they knew that if they made certain decisions, it was going to be highly unlikely they were going to be able to represent the international team. So that went into their decision-making process. All the cards were out on the table, and everybody knew where they stood.”
Meanwhile, Immelman believes their underdog status will allow them to play with more freedom against the US.
The ineligibility of players like Cameron Smith and Joaquin Niemann — who were automatic qualifiers for the International team until their decision to join LIV Golf — forced Immelman to scramble to assemble his 12man roster.
The International squad will feature a record eight rookies against a heavily favoured US team that features five of the world’s top 10 players, but Immelman has not had to deliver any sort of special message to his players.
“We know where we’re at. We know the adversity that our team has been through over the course of the last 12 months. So you really don’t need to say too much,” Immelman said.
“I think it’s worked out quite well that we’ve got eight rookies here because they are just so excited. Everything is new and fresh, and they’re seeing everything for the first time.
“It’s kind of like Christmas morning when you can’t wait to open your presents up,” the South African said.