Trevor Immelman back in action after Masters win at EDS Byron Nelson Championship

From WorldGolf.com News Services

After a whirlwind ride since winning the Masters, Trevor Immelman will be back in action today in first-round play of the EDS Byron Nelson Championship.

Immelman, who won his first major tournament title on April 13 at Augusta National Golf Club, said the past week and a half has truly been an amazing experience. Among the many things Immelman has been invited to take part in since his victory, he said traveling to New York, talking to the Boston Celtics during halftime of their game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden and reading the top-10 list on the "Late Show with David Letterman" rank among the most memorable.

There has also been a more than the usual amount of autograph-seekers and photo opportunities. Just call it Immelmania.

"It's been a pretty crazy time for me," Immelman told reporters Wednesday in Irving, Texas. "It's been real exciting for my family and me to experience everything that's gone with the victory. We had a great time in New York. It was my first time to New York, so everything was a first time. It was fantastic.

"We had a nice couple days at home just trying to reflect on what happened. It still hasn't quite sunk in yet, but it's an exciting time for me."

Immelman said he was a tad apprehensive about reading a couple of the items on Letterman's list of "Top 10 ways my life has changed since winning the Masters," but hoped that everyone understood it was all in jest.

The item that concerned Immelman the most was joking that President George Bush had called to congratulate him on winning Wimbledon. No. 1 on the list was: "[I] get to put my arm around Tiger Woods and say, 'Maybe next year.'"

"My least favorite was the one about President Bush because I need to make sure that I keep getting visas to come to this country," Immelman said. "I don't want to upset anybody, especially not the president, so that was the one I was most skeptical about.

"I knew Tiger would handle his one pretty good, so I wasn't too concerned about that."

Immelman did indeed hear from Woods.

"He thought it was real funny, so he obviously stayed up to see what I was going to say about him," Immelman said. "But he thought it was funny and he was fantastic, as usual. He called me to congratulate me on my victory and told me how well I played and that it's something I'll never forget and I really appreciated him taking the time."

As for the famed green jacket that comes along with being a Masters champion, Immelman said he hasn't worn his much and that it was back home in his closet. However, Immelman joked that it does have its own special place in the closet, away from his other jackets.

"I wore it a lot on Sunday night after I won," Immelman said. "I didn't take it off until four the next morning.

"I haven't taken it out anywhere, other than a couple of the shows I did in New York. I haven't taken it outside of the house. I see it a couple times a day and still have to pinch myself. It's just such an incredible feeling to know that I've won that tournament. That's something that can never be taken away from me."

Despite all the hoopla and distractions that came with his Masters victory, Immelman said he never considered pulling out of the Byron Nelson Championship. Immelman, who finished as the 2006 runner-up in the tournament, said it's one of his favorite events on the PGA Tour.

"Obviously Byron Nelson was such a fantastic role model for all of us," Immelman said. "I've always enjoyed coming here, so [pulling out] wasn't really a thought that crossed my mind."

There was no way defending champion Scott Verplank was going to miss the Byron Nelson. Last year, he was victorious in his 21st consecutive start at the event, winning by a stroke over Luke Donald at TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas.

"I've played this tournament since 1986, and it's always been a special tournament to me," Verplank told reporters. "I'm just pretty comfortable around here. When you go to a place that you're pretty comfortable, it always pumps you up a little bit — makes you feel a little bit better about what's going on."

Boo Weekley, winner of last week's Verizon Heritage, is scheduled to be in the field. Other notables slated to play include Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Adam Scott.

EDS Byron Nelson Championship

• SCHEDULE: Thursday-Sunday
• SITE: Irving, Texas
• COURSE: TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas (7,166 yards, par 70)
• PURSE: $6.4 million (winner's share: $1,152,000)
• FEDEXCUP POINTS: 25,000 (winner's share: 4,500)
• TV: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 3-6 p.m., 8:30-11:30 p.m. EDT) and CBS (Saturday-Sunday, 3-6 p.m. EDT)

April 24, 2008