Trevor Immelman: LIV is “a giant pain in my ass”

Trevor Immelman declared LIV Golf “a giant pain in my ass” and claimed the Presidents Cup is braced for more high-profile defections.

Immelman, who will captain the International team at Quail Hollow next month, described the current power struggle at the top level as “brutally tough” in an interview on GOLF’s Subpar podcast.

He is likely to be without Cam Smith, who is expected to cross over to the Saudi-funded rebel tour after the FedEx Cup, while the likes of Carlos Ortiz and Louis Oosthuizen are already regulars on the breakaway circuit.

“It’s been a giant pain in my ass,” the 2008 Masters champion said.

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“There’s no other way to put it. It’s been brutally difficult in many ways, not just for the Presidents Cup but also because I’m a member of the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.

“It’s been tough to see my sport get divided over the last year and see these cracks get made and the division it’s created.

“From a Presidents Cup standpoint it’s made it uber tricky. We’re talking about team rooms – how about if I’d gone ahead and put images up of different players and then all of a sudden those guys aren’t able to be there? That gives it a bit of a different vibe.”

Despite a raft of defections in recent months, Immelman and his US counterpart Davis Love III are braced for more big names jumping ship.

“It’s been real tough, and I wish I could tell you it’s over. It’s not over,” he said.

“I’m working the phones like crazy trying to learn as much as I can learn, speaking to players, caddies, agents, you name it, just trying to get a feel on where we’re going to be.

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“It’s not great and it’s not been great for Davis. He’s got a couple of guys he’s concerned about as well as me. It puts us in a tough spot and it puts the tournament in a tough spot.

“I feel bad for the Harris family, Quail Hollow and Charlotte, because they’ve gone all out. This event is going to be incredible.

“I just hope we get the right players to pitch up.”