“I'm sick and tired of it being spoken of as a joke”: Trevor Immelman hits back at International team critics at the Presidents Cup press conference
The United States team recently won the 2022 Presidents Cup, with the Davis Love III-led side performing incredibly well in the biannual event for the ninth straight time, beating the International side 17.5-12.5. Despite some resistance from their rivals, the US team looked comfortable on the pitch throughout the event. The American side won the trophy on Sunday, ending the four-day event at Quail Hollow Golf Club.
International team captain Trevor Immelman had a handful to deal with coming into the Presidents Cup. Having taken over as captain two-and-a-half years ago, Immelman was faced with trouble both on and off the pitch. While he struggled with the on-pitch form of his team, he also had to deal with uncontrollable things such as losing top players to LIV Golf as well as the event's delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Notably, players leaving for LIV Golf did prove to be a substantial blow to the International side, including prominent players like Cameron Smith, Joaquin Niemann, and Abraham Ancer, whose absence weakened the team. However, Immelman managed to pitch a strong side and did put out a good fight, based on his own statements.
Thank you, Captain @TrevorImmelman 🖤💛
#IntlTeam https://t.co/aD1HS1BVd0
Immelman backs the Internationals at Presidents Cup
Throughout the tournament, the International team was criticized, with several media reports taking general snipes at the side’s chances this week and continuing to slam its ‘lack of talent’. Social media users also continually targeted the team’s performance as it lost to the American side for the ninth time. The large amount of criticism didn’t sit well with the team captain, who decided to come out and slam critics.
Trevor Immelman was proud of his side’s fight back on Sunday, which saw the star-studded American team face fair resistance. The Internationals forced their rivals to put up a tougher fight to claim the Cup. Speaking at the post-Cup press conference after their loss, Immelman lauded the team’s efforts and said that he was “sick” of the criticism that his side had to endure. The South African golfer went on to add that his team was “no joke”. Immelman stated:
“We showed a lot of guts to fight back. At some point this afternoon, I thought there was still a chance. And when you consider that we were 8-2 down on Friday evening, this team is no joke, and I'm sick and tired of it being spoken of as a joke.”
He went on to add that the team would be back for “another shot”.
“We love this event, and we love our team, and we cannot wait to run this back and have another shot.”
US team wins the Presidents Cup
The US side led by Davis Love III defeated the Internationals 17.5-12.5 at Quail Hollow Golf Club to win the 2022 Presidents Cup. Having taken an early lead of 8-2 on the second day of the event, the US team seemed to be cruising to a victory. However, the team was suddenly forced to put on a stronger fight to claim victory on the final day.
Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay, and Tony Finau scored the first three singles victories on Sunday, while Xander Schauffele added another point, beating Corey Conners. The US team went on to add two more full points to win the event by a solid five-point margin, becoming the Americans' second-largest points tally in the 30-point event.
It is pertinent to note that the US side has extended its Presidents Cup win tally to 12-1-1 ever since its debut in 1994.