AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Trevor Immelman's 4-under 68 in Thursday's first round of the Masters is his lowest round since winning at Augusta National in 2008.

In his four starts between 2009-12, Immelman's lowest round in that span was a 69. Last year, he shot  78-71-76-76 to finish 60th.

But on Thursday, Immelman looked like the player who went wire-to-wire here in 2008. He birdied the par-5 second hole and then added three more birdies on his back nine in a bogey-free round. He hit 15 of 18 greens in regulation; in his 2008 win, he ranked second in the field in greens in regulation.

"Any time in a major you can get out to a nice start and get a few under your belt, birdies are precious commodities at these types of tournaments," Immelmand said. "So you try and bank them for as long as you can."

Immelman hasn't won a PGA TOUR event since his Masters win.

"I think one of the kind of missing ingredients for me right now is I need to start to gain some of the confidence that I had five or six years ago when I had a nice run for a few years," he said. "So I wouldn't say I'm at that point yet to where I get to the middle of the round and say, 'Well, OK, this is it.' But I definitely found a nice rhythm on the back nine and started hitting some quality shots and then converted the putts.

"So that was a nice feeling."

The pairings have been unveiled for this week’s PGA TOUR Matchups Game on Facebook. You can check out the Matchups for the Wyndham Championship below, or on the PGA TOUR’s Facebook page.

Participants have until 6 a.m. ET Thursday to make their picks. Log on to the PGA TOUR Facebook page and click the Matchups link to make your picks for this week, or to sign up.

Webb Simpson vs. Bill Haas	Wake Forest alums do battle in their home state
Carl Pettersson vs. Ryan Moore	Two past Wyndham champs ready for more at Sedgefield
Davis Love III vs. Jason Dufner	Ryder Cup Captain keeps close eye on Ryder Cup rookie
Sergio Garcia vs. Trevor Immelman	Two international stars are looking to kick-start their season
Jhonattan Vegas vs. Brendan Steele	Both need a big week to get into the FedExCup Playoffs

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM

PALM HARBOR, Fla. -- Trevor Immelman withdrew before the start of his round at the Transitions Championship, citing a wrist injury.

“Aggravated my wrist practicing this weekend, been getting treatment but unfortunately won't be able to play this week, bummed!,” Immelman tweeted late Wednesday.

Brian Harman will replace Immelman in the field.

Immelman underwent wrist surgery at the end of 2009. This year, Immelan has missed three cuts in five starts with a tie for 12th in Phoenix his best finish.

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- He hadn't planned on playing in the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

But when Trevor Immelman missed the cut at the Humana Challenge and tied for 33rd at Torrey Pines last week, he decided to make it three in a row. The work he had done on the range during the offseason just wasn't producing the kind of scores he had anticipated in competition.

"I was extremely rusty playing wise, so I was very disappointed with my start there," he explained. "I played a little better last week, and I just figured I'd be better off playing here in a tournament than standing on the range at home."

Immelman will now be away from his family for five straight weeks for the first time. But judging from his first-round 67, Immelman's decision looks to have been a good one.

The South African played his first 12 holes in 6 under on Thursday, including a 4-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole. He couldn't quite coax it home -- "I wasn't very tidy," Immelman said -- but the 2008 Masters champ still just two shots off the lead.

"My game has felt pretty decent for a while now," Immelman said. "It's just a matter of me getting some momentum and hitting the right shots at the right time. I definitely felt like it was going to be better for me to stay out here and just get more and more comfortable every week that goes by.

"It's scoring, it's the mental aspect of just being out here, being comfortable, sticking to our routines. When I go home I tend to get a little too caught up in the nuts and bolts of it rather than getting the ball in the hole."

A trio of major champions -- Charl Schwartzel, Trevor Immelman and Louis Oosthuizen -- received honorary life membership on the Sunshine Tour at its annual awards dinner on Tuesday night in Johannesburg.

Schwartzel, the most recent of the three to win a major, also won the Commissioners Award for his contributions to South African golf in 2011. Schwartzel birdied the last four holes at Augusta National last April to follow Immelman as a Masters champion.

Immelman, who will get his PGA TOUR season under way at next week's Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation, took to Twitter to express his appreciation. @TrevorImmelman Very humbled by the Honorary Lifetime Membership awarded to me by the Sunshine Tour today. :) #fb

Oosthuizen got a head start on 2012 when he successfully defended his title at last week's Africa Open. Schwartzel will try to do the same this week at the Joburg Open.

Garth Mulroy, the 33-year-old from Durban who graduated from N.C. State, picked up the Sid Brews award as the Order of Merit champ. He is a member of the PGA TOUR in 2012.

By John Schwarb, PGATOUR.COM

Ben Crane is never going to be included in a discussion about long bombers on the PGA TOUR.

For the season, Crane is 145th in driving distance at 284.9 yards a pop. But he’s found a little more lately

thanks to a new shaft from Titleist, with winning results.

Crane won last week at The McGladrey Classic with his always-solid putter leading the way (his Strokes-Gained Putting figure was 2.023, second-best in the field), but he also was 21st in driving (288.0-yard average), a ranking not often associated with the Oregonian.

Crane’s history of back injuries hasn’t helped his distance, but work with the Titleist Performance Institute has helped him to regain some ball speed. And during a recent fitting session with Larry Bobka, Titleist’s VP of Club Promotion, Ben put a new, lighter Bassara W 50 for Titleist shaft in his 910D2 driver.

Validation came instantly – his first top 10 since April, a T10 at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. In the firm-and-fast Las Vegas desert he averaged 313.1 off the tee, tied for 21st in the field. Then last week, with the eye-catching red shaft, he won at Sea Island.

Titleist said the Bassara W, developed by Mitsubishi Rayon and weighing in at 53 grams, is one of the lightest shafts to ever win on TOUR.

"We built this particular driver configuration based on a conversation with (TPI co-founder) Greg Rose and Ben's desire for more distance," Bobka said in the Titleist blog. "Being a straight hitter with a delicate back, Ben needed a driver that created what I call 'easy distance.' "

Crane took loft off his previous driver configuration, going to 7.5 degrees, which combined with the longer (46 inch) and lighter shaft created better launch conditions and more distance.

 

 

NEW OLD PUTTER: Trevor Immelman finished fifth at The McGladrey, leading the field in putts per round (27.5 average) and putts per GIR (1.667) with a belly version of the Odyssey White Hot 2-Ball. It was his third different Odyssey model in as many weeks, though he also won with the same model at the Deutsche Bank-SAP Open in Germany in 2004.

RUNNING AWAY: Fred Couples won the Champions Tour’s AT&T Championship by seven shots, the largest margin on Tour this year. He wore his familiar Ecco Golf Street Premier hybrid shoes – without socks.

RUNNING AWAY II: Last week’s Nationwide Tour event also featured a seven-shot rout, by Jason Kokrak at the Miccosukee Championship. He plays the Srixon Z-Star XV ball, and in moving up to fourth on the money list gives Srixon two top representatives of the Z-Star. Nationwide money leader J.J. Killeen also plays it.

NEW CLASSIC: Cleveland Golf has released an updated version of its popular 588 wedges, and David Toms was spotted with them in the bag at The McGladrey. Read more here.

WINNER’S BAG: Crane at The McGladrey Classic:
Driver: Titleist 910D2 (7.5°) with a Mitsubishi Rayon Bassara W 50 shaft
Fairway woods: TaylorMade V Steel (15°) Titleist 910F (17°) with Mitsubishi Diamana Blue Board 93 shafts
Hybrid: Titleist 910H (21°) with a UST Mamiya ProForce AXIVCore 100 shaft
Irons: Titleist AP2 (5-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design (51°), Spin Milled C-C (55°, 59°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts
Putter: Odyssey White Hot #5
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Things are getting crowded at Sea Island. Michael Thompson, who entered Sunday alone atop the leaderboard at 13 under, has been tied by Billy Horschel after a 9-foot birdie conversion on the first hole. Webb Simpson, a two-time winner this year chasing the money list lead, also birdied No. 1 to reach 12 under. Tervor Immelman has two pars today and is 11 under, two back, while Louis Oosthuizen is 1 under through four and 10 under on the week.

By Chris Dunham, PGATOUR.COM ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- The season of unpredictability on the PGA TOUR continues today on St. Simons Island. The final pairing at the McGladrey Classic tees off at 1:15 p.m. ET and features two 2010 q-school graduates and PGA TOUR rookies, both looking for their first TOUR victory and job security for next season. Michael Thompson, an Alabama graduate and last year’s Hooters Tour Player of the Year, is in sole possession of the lead at 13 under. One back is former Florida Gator Billy Horschel, a 2009 and 2010 q-school graduate who lost most of his 2009 season because of a wrist injury and retained rookie status this season. The two former SEC champions renew their rivalry for the second straight day at Sea Island. “I’ve played with (Billy) a couple times during college and I’ve played with him once this year,” Thompson said. “Billy and I have a lot in common… We’re just two young guys having a great time on the PGA TOUR.” Thompson trailed Horschel by one shot prior to the third round, but had three birdies on his front nine and parred his final nine holes Saturday to take a one-shot lead. “I know how to think now, in the final group on the weekend,” Thompson said. “Whether I have the lead or not, it really doesn’t matter. I’m just going to go out and play my game and add up the score at the end. Hopefully I’ll be the top guy.” After a pair of 64s to open the week, Horschel, who entered the week at No. 139 on the money list, never got on track Saturday, posting an even-par 70 to stay at 12 under through 54 holes. “I couldn’t win on Saturday,” Horschel said. “No one can ever win on Saturday unless there’s a storm coming in on Sunday and just washes the thing out. So obviously being one back of the lead going into the final round, I’ll take it. It would have been nice to be one ahead, but to be in contention going into the last day, I’ll take it.” The rookies will have some tough pursuers starting at 11 under in the next-to-last group: Trevor Immelman and Webb Simpson. Immelman, the 2008 Masters Champion who hasn’t had a full healthy season since 2006, tied a tournament record with an 8-under 62 Saturday to get within two shots of the lead. Simpson, who is trying to move ahead of Luke Donald for the top spot on the PGA TOUR money list, hit 13 fairways and 17 greens Saturday, but couldn’t get the birdie putts to drop in a 1-under 69. “I’m excited,” Simpson said after Saturday’s third round. “I looked at the board, and the guys are honestly playing well, but we’re well within reach. The only goal for today was to keep myself in the golf tournament and try to have a chance to win tomorrow, and I think we did that.” A victory for Simpson would be his third of the year and not only move him atop the money list, but improve his chances at winning the PGA TOUR Player of the Year award. Also in contention, and just four shots off the pace are Jeff Overton, Kris Blanks and Nick O’Hern, at trio of players in search of their first TOUR victories. Also in that group at 9 under is 2010 British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, who is in search of his first win in the U.S. Barring an Immelman-like round from anyone in that group, they’ll need help from the final pairing, which will have control of how this final round shapes up. Quick starts from Horschel and Thompson could make it a two- or three-man race while a sluggish opening can bring as many as a dozen guys into the fold as potential winners. “I’m in a good position,” Horschel said. “If I just shoot a low number and give myself a chance, who knows what happens.” In this season of unpredictability, what happens today at Sea Island is anyone’s guess.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- Michael Thompson’s 9-foot birdie putt on No. 18 curled out, leaving him at 13 under, one shot ahead of Billy Horschel after three rounds of the McGladrey Classic. Thompson trailed Horschel all afternoon until No. 16, where Horschel pulled his tee shot into a water hazard and double bogeyed, putting Thompson ahead. Thompson and Horschel will tee it up together again Sunday in another Alabama-Floirda showdown. Trevor Immelman and Webb Simpson will enter the finale two shots back while Jeff Overton, Kris Blanks, Nick O’Hern and Louis Oosthuizen are four off the pace after 54 holes.

By Chris Dunham, PGATOUR.COM ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- Playing his first full healthy season in a half decade, Trevor Immelman found a little magic Saturday at Sea Island, playing his way into contention. The South African rolled in a pair of 35-foot putts on his last five holes Saturday, while going 6 under in that stretch, to reach 11 under for the week at the McGladrey Classic. “That’s always going to help your round, that’s for sure,” Immelman said. “I played real well today, drove the ball well, hit some nice iron shots and made some putts. It really was a fun day.” This 2011 season has been a lot of fun for Immelman, who is looking to complete his first complete, healthy season since 2006. “It’s the first year that I’ve gotten to play when I want to play and practice when I want to practice,” Immelman said. “With all that work, I’ve started to see some better signs And with those better signs, I’ve become more confident. So it’s really just that type of a process and it’s been fun for me to be able to come out and compete this year without taking breaks.” Immelman had surgery late in 2007 to remove a benign tumor from his ribcage. He came back to win the 2008 Masters but started to feel pain in his left wrist late in that season’s campaign caused by tendonitis that affected his play each of the last two seasons. Immelman has played in 23 events this season, making 16 cuts, but he still is in search of his first top-10 finish since the 2008 TOUR Championship. With 10 3’s on his course-record-tying scorecard Saturday, he’ll be in a good spot to do just that Sunday. Saturday's 62 matched the course record set in the inaugural event by Charles Howell III, who posted that number in the final round. His card featured seven birdies and an eagle. Four of his birdie putts came from inside six feet and his closing birdie on No. 18, after the 35-footers on 15 and 17, came from 16-feet away. “In those moments, you’re just trying to stay out of your own way and trying not to think,” Immelman said. “Things are obviously going well for you on the day and you just trying to get in the house without having anything go through your mind.”