Trevor Immelman - the first South African to win the Masters in the post-apartheid era

Congratulations are in order for Trevor Immelman, the first South African to win the Masters since Gary Player pulled the feat in 1978. It’s also the first Masters win for a South African since apartheid ended in the early 1990s, for what it’s worth.

Notables such as Ernie Els and Reteif Goosen couldn’t earn a Green Jacket at Augusta, but with Immelman’s win, South Africans everywhere are drinking sex on the beaches (or whatever it is they drink) to celebrate Immelman’s big, and surprisingly easy victory at the Masters.

Coming back from surgery to remove a tumor from his back last year, Immelman, aside from staggering a bit to the end, was just a dominant force at Augusta,and - with a No. 29 ranking - is the fourth-lowest rated player to win in nearly two decades.

Not long ago, The Masters appeared to be the private domain of Tiger Woods, with the occasional win by Phil Mickelson. The radical changes to Augusta National, the Tiger-proofing, if you will, means our last two Masters champs are Zach Johnson and Immelman. Only time will tell if that’s a good thing or not.

What is a good thing,however, is seeing Immelman move up the ranks in his career. He is now a major winner. And while it’s quite possible that Johnson may never take home another major, it’s a safe bet that Trevor Immelman will be bringing a couple more major titles back home to South Africa.

–WKW