Trevor Immelman is continuing his love affair with golf by taking over as Chairman of the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).
Immelman replaces Peter Dawson as OWGR Chairman, with the South African set to start his new role in April.
The 45-year-old will continue in his lead golf analyst position with CBS, having started that role in 2023 after joining in 2019.
Immelman was a PGA Tour and European Tour regular before his retirement, having clinched 11 professional wins and reached 12th in the OWGR.
One significant win arrived at the 2008 Masters, where Immelman held off Tiger Woods for a famous victory at Augusta.
What Trevor Immelman said about LIV Golf in 2022
The major champion plans to ensure OWGR ‘remains committed to its mission’, which aims to ‘administer and publish, on a weekly basis, a transparent, credible, and accurate Ranking based on the relative performances of players participating in male Eligible Golf Tours worldwide’.
And it seems that LIV Golf will be waiting some time to be on the eligibility list given Immelman’s views on the breakaway tour.
Speaking on GOLF’s Subpar podcast in August 2022, he said: “It’s been a giant pain in my ass. There’s no other way to put it. It’s been brutally difficult in many ways, not just for the Presidents Cup but also because I’m a member of the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
READ MORE: Two-time PGA Tour winner responds when asked how bad LIV Golf really is
“It’s been tough to see my sport get divided over the last year and see these cracks get made and the division it’s created.
“From a Presidents Cup standpoint it’s made it uber tricky. We’re talking about team rooms – how about if I’d gone ahead and put images up of different players and then all of a sudden those guys aren’t able to be there? That gives it a bit of a different vibe.”
Speaking amid a long list of defections to LIV Golf, he added: “It’s been real tough, and I wish I could tell you it’s over. It’s not over.
“I’m working the phones like crazy trying to learn as much as I can learn, speaking to players, caddies, agents, you name it, just trying to get a feel on where we’re going to be.
“It’s not great and it’s not been great for Davis [Love III]. He’s got a couple of guys he’s concerned about as well as me.
“It puts us in a tough spot and it puts the tournament in a tough spot. I feel bad for the Harris family, Quail Hollow and Charlotte, because they’ve gone all out. This event is going to be incredible. I just hope we get the right players to pitch up.”
What is the OWGR’s stance on LIV Golf?
Immelman was referring to his role as International Team captain at the 2022 Presidents Cup, with Love III having been his Team US counterpart.
A somewhat similar perspective was shared by the OWGR in October 2023, when it denied LIV Golf’s application for eligible tour status.
READ MORE: Tyrrell Hatton admits the ‘scary thought’ he had when he left the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf in 2024
Gaining world ranking legitimacy now looks even more difficult, if not impossible, although LIV Golf has since withdrawn its application to join.
It is certainly an interesting time for the Norman-backed tour, which returns at LIV Golf Riyadh next month.
Its stars can still feature at major championships, with 2024 US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau the highest-ranked LIV Golf player in 10th place.
In the latest twist in the ongoing saga, PGA Tour youngster Tom McKibbin looks set to join LIV Golf, linking up with Jon Rahm at Legion XIII.
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