Capelle On Golf

2008 US Open Coverage

Earlier this year the media had a field day discussing Tiger Woods’ chances for winning the Grand Slam. When he lost the Masters, all talk of the Slam immediately ceased. It was as if the only person on the planet with a chance to win the Slam was Woods, which is probably the truth.

Regardless, there still is one player who is technically in the running. That guy who won the Masters, Immelman, yes that’s it, Trevor Immelman. The man who’s swing was compared to Ben Hogan’s, who had back surgery, and who hit it so long and straight at Augusta. Yes, our winner of the first major of ’08, and the one player who still has a chance at the Grand Slam.

Can he do it? Of course not, but he could reach the halfway point by winning the first two majors of the year if he shows up at the US Open with the Masters version of his game. If Immelman could win the Half Slam, that would put him in some elite company. The only players in the Modern Era (1958 to now) to manage this double are Arnold Palmer (1960), Jack Nicklaus (1972), and Tiger Woods (2002).

The problem is that his game went right back into hibernation following the Masters. In his first two starts after Augusta he missed the cut with rounds of 78-75 at the EDS Byron Nelson, then followed this with scores of 76-73 at the Wachovia Championships. He was forced to withdraw from THE PLAYERS three weeks ago due to illness, so his opener at the Memorial was his first competitive round in 27 days. He tied for thirtieth and closed stongly with a 69.

With the Open less than a week away, Immelman’s game is showing some signs of life. He’s three back after rounds of 74-66 on the tough TPC Southwind course at the Stanford St. Jude Championship. More importantly, he’s tied for second in GIR, which indicates that he could be back to striking the ball like he did at the Masters.

Going into the Open Immelman is a longshot – Ladbrokes has him at 50/1. But he’s an attractive long shot considering that he’s got the major’s monkey off his back, and that he’s demonstrated the ability to get hot. Besides, when it comes to the Grand Slam, he’s our only hope till next year.