Do not adjust your television’s sound. Those melodious Cape Town accents seemingly coming in stereo from both on the course and inside the CBS broadcast tower at Torrey Pines this week are not echoes. If you listen carefully, you can tell the subtle differences that nine years of seasoning makes between the voices of the Immelman brothers.
Golf on CBS has gone all in on the Immelmans. Trevor Immelman, the 2008 Masters champion, is making his debut at the Farmers Insurance Open as the network’s lead analyst, taking the seat in the booth beside Jim Nantz that Nick Faldo vacated after 16 years. Older brother Mark Immelman, a long-time golf coach and instructor, begins his first full-time season as an on-course reporter with Dottie Pepper and Colt Knost.
The brothers don’t think people will have trouble telling their South African accents apart, but they aren’t too worried about any confusion.
“We sound a little different. Maybe it’s 52 years versus 43 that my voice is a bit more grizzled,” the elder Mark Immelman said. “We have different terms, and we kind of use different vernacular a little bit, too. I'm sure people can pick us. But you know what, if they don't, as long as we don't say anything that's incorrect, we'll both be fine.”
Trevor’s sentiments exactly: “Americans, when they hear an accent that's not American, I could see how it could be confusing. We'll just have to see. As long as (Mark) keeps saying smart stuff, it’s fine.”
Smart is what both brothers bring to the table. They come into the broadcast game from different perspectives: Trevor as a former tour player, major winner and recent Presidents Cup captain and Mark as a collegiate all-American and coach at Columbus State University in Georgia who teaches, writes and talks about golf instruction. They are well-versed in a game that has been the family foundation, including father Johan Immelman serving a five-year stint as commissioner of South Africa’s Sunshine Tour.
Could they have envisioned golf broadcasting becoming the family franchise?
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