South Africa’s Trevor Immelman, Korea’s KJ Choi and Canada’s Mike Weir have been named as the final three captain’s assistants for the 2019 Presidents Cup.
The trio join Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy, named in November as part of the backroom staff, as Presidents Cup International Team captain Ernie Els’ assistants.
Els has given countryman Immelman his chance to debut as a captain’s assistant when the biennial competition returns to The Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia, for a third time from 9-15 December.
Immelman has two Presidents Cup berths on his resume (2005, 2007); he and Els shared one Presidents Cup appearance together in 2007. In 2017, Immelman served as the first-ever International Team captain for the Junior Presidents Cup, which debuted at Plainfield Country Club just days prior to the Presidents Cup at Liberty National.
‘I’m very excited. I can’t wait really. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunities to play in ’05 and ’07, and it was a very enjoyable time in my career,’ Immelman said. ‘For me, I probably know [Ernie] better than any of the other people on TOUR, and so hopefully what I can bring to the team is the fact that I really understand the captain. I know his history, I know his record, I obviously hold him in great esteem and so maybe I can be a good conduit from players to the team captain.’
Immelman is a two-time PGA TOUR winner whose career is highlighted by his victory at the 2008 Masters, where he edged Tiger Woods by three strokes. He also teamed up with Rory Sabbatini in 2003 to win South Africa’s most recent World Cup of Golf title.
‘I have known Trevor for a very long time and trust him fully to know that he will be an integral element in our team,’ Els said. ‘As a fellow competitor, Trevor is as steely as they come and I am sure this attribute will rub off positively on to our players. When I played in the same team as Trevor in 2007, he was one of our most determined players, and I know he will contribute to our cause in Australia.’
Choi will return as an assistant for the second time after serving as vice-captain to Nick Price when the Presidents Cup made its debut in Korea in 2015. A three-time Presidents Cup competitor (2003, 2007, 2011), Choi owns a 6-8 overall record and posted a 3-2 mark in 2011 at Royal Melbourne, where he partnered with fellow captain’s assistant Ogilvy to win two Four-ball matches.
Weir will return for his second stint as a captain’s assistant after serving for Nick Price at the 2017 Presidents Cup.
