Victory kicks off whirlwind of excitement for Immelman

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NEW YORK -- He was operating on about two hours of sleep.

Well, sleep actually might not be the right word for it. At least, Trevor Immelman had finally laid down to get some rest about 4 a.m. on Monday morning.

Trevor Immelman has given more interviews in the last day than he had in his life, he joked. (Cannon/WireImage)

"But I don't remember ever really closing my eyes," the young South African said, smiling and stifling a yawn.

So the recently crowned Masters champion basically was running on adrenaline Monday as he made his first trip to New York City. He left Augusta, Ga., at 9 a.m., Green Jacket in hand, and flew to the Big Apple to make the rounds of major media outlets.

The interviews started before Immelman's plane went wheels up with the "Mike & Mike Show" on ESPN Radio at 8:25 a.m. They landed in Teterboro, N.J., a private airport outside the city, and he did five radio interviews before most people had finished lunch.

"I've done more interviews today than I think I have in my whole life," Immelman said.

The TV appearances began at Fox News. Next up were two interviews for ESPN, then CNN Headline News and CNN International. Watch for him on the "Late Show with David Letterman" on Monday night and "Live with Regis and Kelly" on Tuesday.

Oh, and Immelman, an avid sports fan, went to storied Madison Square Garden Monday night to sit courtside and see the New York Knicks play the Boston Celtics, one of the game's most historic rivalries.

Immelman has his own place in history now, too, after winning the Masters Tournament on a blustery Sunday barely 24 hours earlier, holding off Tiger Woods by three strokes. He joined his mentor, Gary Player, a three-time winner at Augusta National, as the only South Africans with a Green Jacket.

After the Green Jacket ceremony Sunday evening, Immelman went to the Chairman's Reception in the sprawling white antebellum clubhouse at Augusta National. Around 10:30 p.m., he headed over to the IMG house, rented by his management company, for a get-together. Another South African, Tim Clark, who finished second at the 2006 Masters, was among those there to congratulate Immelman.

Immelman said it was about 2 a.m. when he and his family returned to their house to "reflect on the day." He finally went to bed around 4 and his 21-month-old son Jacob provided the wake-up call two hours later.

Has it sunk in yet?

"Definitely not," Immelman said Monday afternoon. "This is ridiculous -- but it's so awesome."