Augusta National breeds yet another first-time major winner

The Masters

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Nevertheless, the famed layout designed by Bobby Jones and Alister Mackenzie and touched up countless times since its inception in 1932, was setup with similar intent for the 72nd Masters Tournament.

"Regardless of conditions, I think this golf course is usually set up very well and it identifies the best player for the week," said 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir. "If you hit it well, controlled your ball flight, played smart and made a few putts, you could score. If not, if you were off in your shot-making or your thinking, you weren't going to do very well."

What's been surprising about the identity of the best player at the year's first major is that lately the guys coming to the forefront hadn't previously won a major championship. Starting with Weir, four of the last seven and six of the last 11 Masters champions broke through at Augusta National for their first major title.

What's more, four of the runners-up since 2003 hadn't won a major either. After Weir, the breakthroughs have come from Phil Mickelson, Johnson and now Immelman.

It used to be that the PGA Championship --with 13 first-time major champs in the last 20 years -- was known exclusively as the break-your-maiden major, but the Masters Tournament is proving more fruitful for the previously uninitiated.

Then again, there seems to be a first-time fever breaking out everywhere. The last three U.S. Open champions were breakthrough winners. At the British Open Padraig Harrington became the fourth first-time major victor in seven editions.

"These days, guys are so good and they are so seasoned," said Stewart Cink, who finished tied for third and still seeks his own breakthrough. "He [Immelman] is a young kid. He's... 28, he's a young guy still, and even though he's young, he's been playing now in the pros for quite a while. I'm not surprised. I didn't look at Trevor and say, 'now there's a guy that's probably got a chance to win this week,' but you don't count anybody out."

Tiger Woods, who added his fifth major runner-up to 13 titles, said he was not surprised by recent events, particularly when it comes to Immelman's emergence.

"Trevor is extremely talented," said Woods, who is only four years older than the South African. "He's had a run of bad luck the last few years, but he's battled, and it was just a matter of time. He's just one of many guys who, if they play well, they can win anywhere, and Trevor proved that here."

They're proving it everywhere, no matter the course, no matter the setup. Which means the golf world could see more of the same in the coming years.