Immelman shows swing savvy
Great column on Trevor Immelman (“Immelman’s voice carries sway,” Aug. 17, GGP). In addition to his smooth voice, he is the first credible golf swing analyst since Peter Kostis was fired years ago. That has been a real hole in CBS’ coverage and Immelman has really grown in the job. Now if we can get Jim Furyk to replace Kevin Kisner on NBC all will be good.
Elmer Hilker
Hampstead, North Carolina
Prez Cup qualifying merits examination
I’ve watched Presidents Cup captain Brandt Snedeker doing a couple of interviews recently where he’s been asked about captain's picks (“Prez Cup captain scouts Koivun up close,” Aug. 6, GGP+). His response has been consistent; he wants to get the players who are playing the best. But there has to be recognition for those who have played well over an extended period of time, not just someone who has had a few really good weeks.
There are those players who are ranked seventh through 12th in the Presidents Cup standings who have had a very good 2026, whether it’s winning a major, winning a signature event or winning multiple tournaments. Then there are players who are getting “hot” at the right time and have had some successes in the past. Is it fair to a player who had performed both well and consistently over seven months to be replaced by someone who has had a few good weeks by beating significantly weaker fields?
If the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup both want to put together a team with players who are playing the best, wouldn’t it make sense to change the points-earning criteria from two years to the current year only? By ranking players over a two-year period, they run the risk of players having, for example, a great 2025, a not-so-great 2026, but because of the points earned in 2025 are in the top six of exempt players. One example is Ben Griffin, who entered the FedEx Cup playoffs fifth in the Presidents Cup standings but only 38th in this season’s FedEx Cup standings.
As it stands now, the two-year points earning period could make a player who wouldn’t be on the list of potential captain’s picks an automatic qualifier. And because the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup are played in alternate years, that player probably would have been in the top six for the Ryder Cup.
Charlie Jurgonis
Fairfax, Virginia
Southern Am is full speed ahead
I read with interest your piece on the Elite Amateur Golf Series (“Elite amateur golf is evolving rapidly,” Aug. 17, GGP).
I serve on the executive committee of the Southern Golf Association, which hosts the annual Southern Amateur. There’s no question that men’s amateur golf is facing some challenges and significant headwinds. A number of the top amateur events of the summer season are struggling to stay relevant, but in my view, that doesn’t include the Southern Amateur, the Western Amateur, the North and South or the Northeast Amateur, all of which are as strong and prominent as they have been for many years.
As to the Southern Golf Association’s relationship with the Alabama Golf Association, the parties have had an annually renewable management agreement in place. The Alabama Golf Association has done an excellent job for many years managing the business affairs of the SGA and its two annual amateur events. Though I certainly can’t speak for the Alabama Golf Association, I think that while the relationship had been great, managing the SGA’s affairs along with handling the administration of amateur golf in the state of Alabama was just a bit more than the AGA was able or willing to continue to handle without adding dedicated additional staff, which just didn’t make financial sense. So, yes, there will be a parting of the ways, amicable I would say, and the SGA will go out with a Request for Proposal in the near future to most of the other leading Allied Golf Associations in the SGA’s 15 Southern states footprint along with a number of professional golf management organizations. We hope to finalize our new management team by mid-fall.
There’s no question that with NIL, the PGA Tour U, and the USGA’s national development program, the amateur golf world in the U.S. is changing. But we at the Southern Golf Association are committed to continuing with our two leading tournaments. And I believe that while the Elite Amateur Golf Series may lose one or two of its members, we’ll continue with our core events and collaborate with the other leading amateur golf organizations including the USGA, which grants a U.S. Amateur exemption to the winner of the Southern Amateur.
Mark Grantham
Atlanta, Georgia
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