The 2008 Masters captain was named as the captain of the team on Tuesday.

Immelman becomes the third South African to be given the honour of leading the internationals as they go searching for the elusive title.

As a player, Immelman played in the Presidents Cup twice and he was also the vice-captain last year when the USA won 16-14 in a tightly contested affair in Melbourne, Australia.

Injuries cut Immelman’s competitive career short quite drastically and of late his has been shifting his focus more to the broadcasting side of things.

Speaking to OFM Sport from the USA, Immelman said his career has now come full circle and being in broadcasting will give him quite a big advantage when it comes to selecting his team for next years’ event.

“It is a good question actually. You can definitely look at that way. It has been a lot of fun for more over the last 20 years traveling the globe and having the opportunity to play all over the world playing in the biggest tournaments against the best golfers.

“I have just turned 40 years old and when I sit back now it is something that I really do appreciate. My career over the last few years has been transitioning and I have been doing a lot more television work. That transition has started happening and when you add this as the icing on the cake, it is going to be a lot of fun.

“I think from a team standpoint we are going to have a nice combination of some more experienced players. Guys I grew up playing from junior to amateur golf and turning pro at the same time. I think of Adam (Scott) and guys like that, and then also you’ve got all of these youngsters that I have going to know well over the years and are trying to forge their way onto the bigger stage.

“Now with all the broadcasting, I am able to go to all of the tournaments and really focus on them rather than focusing on my own game. When I was competing, the way that I had to complete at my best, I had to be hyper-focused and to be quite frank rather selfish. Now that I have stepped away from that more, I am going as a broadcaster with my eyes and ears more open trying to make sure that I am gathering as much information as possible. I really am able to go to these events and be there for our guys, be a shoulder for them, be an ear for them to be able to share some stuff.

“I think that is going to work in our teams' favour and I’m really looking forward to getting a tighter and tighter bond in our group.”

While the 2021 Presidents Cup will only tee-off on 30 September, Immelman, has already hinted that he may just have a strong South African presence in the team of 12 players.

@MorganPiek OFM Sport