There has been a trend developing in golf’s major championships. While it seems like Tiger Woods wins everything, including the majors, it isn’t quite so.

More often, in recent years, majors are won players who are not among the pre-tournament favorites, players who do not immediately follow up with more major wins. Consider that over the last 20 majors, Woods has five wins — two PGAs, two British Opens, one Masters.

Over the same stretch, 10 majors have gone to players that, to this point, have made the win their first and only major championship. Nowhere is that trend more prominent than at the U.S. Open, where a first-and-only-time winners have captured four of the last five events.

So, where does Masters champion Trevor Immelman fit into the picture, one-trick pony or major championship thoroughbred?

“I’ve played with very few golfers who can manage their emotions, manage their swing and manage the golf course that well,” said Brandt Snedeker, who played with Immelman in the final pairing of the last two rounds of the Masters.

True enough, Immelman’s initials are TI not TW. But if you saw the aesthetically pleasing swing, if you saw how he handled himself in the final round at Augusta, if you know how driven he is, you know there is a chance he has  more majors in him.

Is it crazy to suggest he could win two in a row? Define crazy.

“Here I am after missing the cut last week, the Masters champion,” Immelman said after donning a green jacket. “It’s the craziest thing I ever heard of.”

The 28-year old South African might be just starting down the major championship road. Certainly, the talent and pedigree is there. Immelman began playing golf at the age of 5. His father, Johan Immelman, is commissioner of the Sunshine Tour.

His parents recognized their young boy was passionate about golf and they made the sacrifices to feed the fire. By the time he was 12 years old, Immelman was a scratch player. He competed on the South African Junior circuit and in events around the world. He attended golf academies. He was widely-recognized as an op-and-coming player.
 
He was second at the U.S. Junior Amateur in 1997, won the U.S. Amateur Public Links in 1998. He then became the 2006 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, capturing the Western Open that season, and was well on his way to climbing the World Rankings.

But a series of ailments set him back in 2007, including a cancer scare and subsequent surgery in December. The tumor removed from his diaphragm turned out to be benign.

“You get a different perspective when something like that happens,” he said. “That’s for sure.”

All along, he has been getting advice and support from South African golf legend Gary Player, a three-time Masters winner. “I first met him when I was 5 years old, at my home club in Somerset West (South Africa),” Immelman explained. “I have a great picture, he picked me up and put me on his shoulders, I have no teeth. That was the first time I met him.”

 “After that, he kept writing me notes and he kept answering my calls and my letters to him. He was always there for support and advice. And after I turned pro, he was there for a kick in the butt when I wasn’t playing well or he saw something that he didn’t like.

“He’s been, you know, kind of like another type of father for me. To have somebody like that for support is just incredible.”

Immelman paid back the backing in the best possible way. He became the first wire-to-wire winner at the tournament since 1980. He became the second South African to win a green jacket.

Maybe that Grand Slam thing is still on the table. What do you think, Trevor — four in a row? “Probably not,” he said, with a grin. “It’s probably too early to think about that.”

Perhaps, but it’s not too early to suggest Immelman — especially in the aftermath of knee surgery for Woods — has a fighting chance to win the next major.

The U.S. Open will be at Torrey Pines in San Diego on June 12-15. Certainly, Immelamn showed some U.S. Open-type toughness at Augusta. He was first at the Masters in driving accuracy, hitting 48 of 56 fairways. He also finished fourth in driving distance, with an average of 287.5 yards.

Accuracy and proficiency off the tee is the trademark of a U.S. Open champion. Woods has won six times at Torrey Pines, but Immelman also has history in his corner. His Public Links title came at Torrey Pines, albeit before the recent makeover.

When you put all the factor together, there’s no reason why Immelman can’t be California Dreamin.’
 
“You know, I’ve always dreamed about winning majors,” Immelman said. “Deep down, I always thought I was good enough. But you at times, you obviously doubt yourself, because you know, you miss a few cuts and you screw up a few times.

“You’re just like, ‘Man, maybe I’m not good enough. But this is a tremendous confidence boost. Now that I know I have got one under my belt …  I mean, I’m definitely not going to sit back and go, ‘OK, that’s me, I’m done.’ I’m going to keep working hard and trying to make the most of what I’ve been given.”

Trevor Immelman surprised people by winning the Masters. It will be even more surprising if that is the only major championship he wins.