Immelman will need to step up Sunday to catch Singh  PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents KAPALUA, Hawaii -- This time there was no joking around. Trevor Immelman wasn't standing in front of a bathroom mirror, talking into a hairbrush and practicing what he would say when he wins the inaugural FedExCup. Vijay Singh didn't walk in and interrupt the embarrassed young South African. No, the two men weren't filming a public service announcement for the FedExCup on Saturday. This was serious business. They were paired together in the final group in the third round of the Mercedes-Benz Championship at Kapalua. 
And all kidding aside, depending on what happens Sunday, one of those two could have a head start toward the $10 million bonus that goes to the winner of the first FedExCup. Maybe Immelman will need that speech, after all. The 27-year-old starts the final round of the PGA TOUR's season-opening event at 8 under, tied with Adam Scott and three strokes off the pace set by Singh. He saw first-hand how well the World Golf Hall of Famer from Fiji is playing on Saturday. Singh has never won the Mercedes-Benz Championship, but he's certainly come close. He hasn't finished lower than fifth at Kapalua in his last five starts, including last year's playoff loss to Stuart Appleby, the second time he was runner-up. "He's such a great player," said Immelman, who is making his debut at Kapalua. "He's won 29 events or something silly like that, so, you don't expect him to give it away. But you know, I've come from three behind before to win tournaments. "Hopefully, for me, I can go out there and shoot a low score (Sunday) and see what happens. All I can do is play the best golf I can play and see how I shape up at the end." That low score? Probably something in the mid-60s, Immelman said. To go that low, though, last year's PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year will need to putt better than he did on Saturday. Immelman ranks first in fairways hit and greens in regulation through three rounds, hitting 13 and 18, respectively, on Saturday. The flat stick let him down, though, as he took 38 putts in the third round, including a pair of three-putt bogeys on Nos. 3 and 4. "I felt like I hit the ball solidly today, which was pleasing," Immelman said. "Most of my shots I hit on the wrong side of the pin and I couldn't have too much of an aggressive putt at it. And then the ones that I did leave on the correct side, they all seemed to lip out on me." Immelman did manage to two-putt for birdie from 23 feet on the last hole, barely missing an eagle putt that would have given him sole possession of second place and put him in the final group with Singh for the second straight day. Instead, he'll play with Will MacKenzie in the penultimate group. "I'll need a special day tomorrow to catch Vijay," Immelman admitted. He's been playing well, though -- and often -- during the offseason. Immelman tied for third in two team events, the Merrill Lynch Shootout and the ADT Skills Challenge. He was second at the South African Airways Open and tied for seventh in the Nedbank Challenge. Oh, and there was that charity event for Nelson Mandela he played in, too. "So I had a grand total of ten days off before coming here," Immelman said with a smile. "I would have liked to have some more time off. I felt like I had such a great year last year on the golf course in my personal life. I think that my wife and I would have enjoyed a little bit more time to sit back and relax and enjoy South Africa. "But as it were, we were fairly busy. You know, that's just the way it is. We just try and enjoy everything we do." Like that new baby, Jacob, who was born the Tuesday of the British Open. Immelman immediately withdrew and flew home to Orlando to be with his wife and newborn son. The 2006 season wasn't bad, either. Immelman won his first PGA TOUR event last year, beating Tiger Woods at the Cialis Western Open. He had two other runner-up finishes and finished seventh on the money list. Maybe it's best that he doesn't dwell on that success, though. "I think something I did well last year was that I didn't expect too much, so I'm going to try to keep that same attitude going this year," Immelman explained. "I'm naturally a pretty hard worker. I like to practice a lot and put a lot of work into my game on and off the course. So, you know, I want to try to continue to do that, and then once I get to the tournaments, just try and play with as much freedom as possible. "I think as soon as you say to yourself, 'OK, I really want to finish in the top 10, or I really want to win this week,' then you start putting pressure on yourself and I don't think you can play with as much freedom. "The goal for me is to continue working on my game and when I get to tournaments, just really try to let all that hard work come out without me getting in the way of myself." Of course, he never missed his mark as an actor, either. The public service announcement he filmed with Singh aired during the GOLF CHANNEL telecast on Saturday. "We had a lot of fun with that," Immelman said. "He was a good sport. ... I haven't seen it yet. I hope it's funny." He'd like nothing better than to have the last laugh on Sunday, though. |
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