Masters 2018: Former champion Trevor Immelman opens up on the ‘dark side’ of winning the green jacket
South African tamed Augusta ten years ago by holding off Tiger Woods but has since seen world ranking plummet amid injuries and loss of form
TREVOR IMMELMAN has opened up on the "dark side" of winning the Masters.
It was ten years ago the South African, now 38, held off a charging Tiger Woods to win his first and only Major.
But put his name into Google now and you are urged to search for 'what happened to Trevor Immelman?'
That may seem harsh given the world-beating ability he showed back on that blustery Sunday afternoon.
Yet sporting careers often defy logic and sense - especially when injuries are involved.
Wrist surgery and a crisis of confidence saw Immelman's world ranking plummet.
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Once sitting 12th, he now cannot break the top 1,200.
It would be wrong to assume, however, that the man blessed with one of the finest swings the game has seen has not worked his backside off in a bid to reclaim his former glory.
Therein, though, lies another reason for his slide.
Are you listening, Danny Willett?
Immelman said: "You've got to be careful when you dream of success and achievement.
"There is a dark side to everything.
"Even if there is success there is a rough side to it which you have to deal with.
"If you are not ready for that you are going to get a rude awakening.
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"Leading into the Masters in '08 I had been one of the better players in the world for two or three years, top-20 in world rankings consistently.
"I was winning tournaments in the States and Europe.
"Being in my late Twenties at the time the next step was to win a Major. I felt I had the potential and drive and work ethic.
Augusta's strict rules about the Green Jacket
AUGUSTA NATIONAL is one of the most mysterious sporting institutions.
And those rules extend even to past champions. Here, Trevor Immelman explains what they can and cannot do with the green jacket.
- You get to keep the jacket with you for the year you are champion.
- When you return to Augusta the next year as defending champion, it stays in your locker.
- You can wear it whenever you want during Masters week.
- The Augusta board don't like you taking it with you when you next leave.
- Champions share lockers. I share with Nick Faldo.
- For the Champions' Dinner on Tuesday night, everyone wears their jacket.
"Problem was in those days hardly anyone was beating Tiger in the big events.
"Those victories were few and far between for a lot of us. He was dominating the world of golf.
"When it happened - and he finished second to me - it was a dream come true.
"But a little after that I struggled with injuries, had to have a few surgeries and made a few bad decisions on top of that.
"It was all in an effort to improve. But when I look back now they were maybe the wrong decisions.
"I'm talking from a technical swing standpoint - couple that with injuries, rehab, time off and working on the wrong things, my game stopped getting better.
"In fact it started getting a little worse.
"Once you start on that it's a very slippery slope. It was a very frustrating time because I showed for a number of years I had the guts to pull it off down the stretch.
"All those intangibles were there but my health held me back.
"My intense love for the game has kept me grinding away at it."
Immelman first felt pain in his left wrist in October 08 - six months after his Augusta heroics.
Surgery came a year later but the scars, both mental and physical, meant it was five months before he could even grip a putter again.
So what advice to Willett, who has spent his own time in the wilderness with back injuries and a loss of form?
Immelman, who now does part-time commentary for the Golf Channel and CBS in the US, said: "Searching for answers is admirable.
"But it's like a double-edged sword because a lot of times, in looking for answers, you go down the wrong path.
"All of a sudden you find yourself too far from your home base and your form can suffer.
"The pedigree and talent is there. A lot of it will depend on Danny's health and if he is able to get back to swinging the way he was swinging when he was playing that great golf.
";If Danny is healthy then there is no doubt [he can get back to his best] because he has proved it over and over."