The 40-year-old South African former Masters champion was named as the international captain on Tuesday, and he succeeds the four-time major champion, Ernie Els, who led the team in Melbourne, Australia in 2019.

Under the Big Easy, Immelman was an assistant captain during the tightly contested affair which was won 16-14 by the USA last year.

As player, Immelman also competed in the Presidents Cup twice during his career which was marked with injuries.

Speaking to OFM Sport from the USA on his appointment, Immelman, said that his new role in golf as a television pundit will be an advantage when it comes to selecting his team for next year's event in the USA.

Immelman who is the third player from the Rainbow Nation to lead the International Team admitted that he has been and will be keeping an eye on the South African players for his team.

“Obviously for me, it's an amazing honour. Any South African, when they're growing up, they're very well aware of who Ernie Els is and of who Gary Player is, and so for me to be able to have the opportunity to try and follow in those two guys' footsteps is something that is very, very special to me.

“Both of those guys are mentors and great friends and people that I've relied on throughout my life for advice and for guidance, and so for me to try to follow in their footsteps really is something that's pretty cool and that I don't take for granted. I'm really humbled by it.

“And from a South African athlete's standpoint, we've had such a rich history of great athletes coming from a small country. To have people perform at the highest level and win the biggest championships, whether it be in golf or rugby or cricket or swimming or all the other sports that South Africans compete in, it's proud for me to be a part of that group, and to fly our flag on behalf of the International Team is something that I'm really looking forward to.

“I have a sneaky suspicion that we're going to have a few South Africans on our team. Obviously we have household names like Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, who's coming back from injury and starting to show some good form.

“We have Branden Grace, who won the South African Open a few months ago and then we also have these youngsters coming through.

“Erik van Rooyen has been playing some beautiful golf out here on the PGA TOUR. Christian Bezuidenhout is finally getting an opportunity to compete against the best players in the world and showing what he can do. You know, from a South African standpoint, I'm really looking forward to seeing how those guys compete over the next 18 months, and I look forward to possibly having a number of them on the team.”

The 2021 Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow will be played from 30 September to 3 October 2021.

@MorganPiek OFM Sport