It's a four-hour drive across Georgia from Columbus to Augusta, and Mark Immelman was agonizing the whole way about what to do.

Mark Immelman, Trevor's brother, teaches at Bull Creek Golf Course in Columbus, Ga. Mark's lessons in putting in the days before the tournament helped Trevor tame Augusta National's notoriously unforgiving greens. (Chris Thelen/Staff)

The Division II golf coach has been a sounding board and teacher for his younger brother since the two started playing golf together in South Africa, and he believed he could help him. But the Sunday before a major championship isn't always the best time for tinkering.

By the time he crossed Lake Oconee, about an hour west of Augusta, he'd made up his mind.

"I've got to tell him," he told his wife, Tracy.

"Are you sure about this?" she said.

"I am absolutely sure."

That decision was reinforced when he arrived and saw Trevor Immelman's golf bag sitting by the door with three putters sticking out of it. He jumped in when Trevor made a quip that his check-in registration number, 39, was "a pretty good nine-hole score for me right now."

"I need 30 minutes with you on the putting green tomorrow morning and I will fix you up," Mark said, and his brother agreed.

Trevor had been struggling since returning from major surgery the week before Christmas. He'd missed four cuts in eight starts. His best finish in a stroke-play event all year was 40th. Only twice in 20 rounds had he broken 70.

But his brother didn't think he was playing as badly as his results indicated. Being results-oriented was hurting Trevor on the greens, where he ranked 202nd out of 204 players on the PGA Tour in putts per green in regulation heading into the Masters Tournament.

"He was gauging himself and his putting on whether the ball went in the hole or not," Mark said. "The more he missed putts, the more he started to think something was the matter. Then he was trying this and trying that and was all over the place."

Convincing him that there were no structural defects and all was not bad entering a tournament where the greens drive the world's best putters batty would not only take the best efforts of Immelman's brother and sports psychologist Bob Rotella, but also one of the world's most renowned putters.

"You don't have to hit perfect putts," Rotella said. "On those greens, you better be an artist and not a scientist."

It started with a simple drill Monday morning. On the most sloping corner of the practice putting green, Mark pulled a marker out of his pocket. The brothers agreed on a spot that a well-struck putt must travel across and placed the marker on the intended line. Trevor's first putt went directly over the marker and missed the hole.

"So I asked, 'Is that a good putt or a bad putt?' " Mark said. "He didn't say anything."

Trevor hit the mark again and missed the hole.

Same question, and Trevor caught the drift.

"I told him you can't define yourself by whether it goes in or not," Mark said. "It's just the nature of Augusta National. You can hit quality putts and have a 10-footer coming back."

The drill continued with a twist. Every time Immelman struck a putt, he had to instantly call out "yes" or "no" if it was a quality putt. A few "yes" putts missed. A few "no" putts went in.

"Now the whole week was just about hitting the shot that you want," his brother explained. "You can't get wrapped up in what might happen."

Trevor took the tips to the big course and applied it with his brother outside the ropes. On the first hole, two-time Masters winner Ben Crenshaw joined Trevor and Nick O'Hern, and Trevor immediately started picking Crenshaw's brain.

"I see Trevor walk over to him on the first green and ask him about it, and Crenshaw looked like you lit a firecracker on his rear end," Mark said. "It just confirmed what we were doing, and coming from a legend like him it helped."

Trevor started rebuilding his confidence on the greens and had it figured out until the Par-3 Contest. With his brother caddying, Trevor missed a few short putts, and his confidence started to drift again. He immediately dragged his brother and Rotella back to the practice green and went through the whole thing again.

"I use the Par-3 to kind of get rid of some nerves and get into the putting and chipping," Trevor said. "We walked onto the putting green, and I was a little disappointed. The three of us were on the green and hitting putts and came up with a strategy for the week."

One last example sealed the game plan. After one putt rolled off the green to the gallery ropes, Trevor went to rake it up before his brother stopped him.

"My final lesson for the week is that every shot you hit, especially here, is only as good as the next one," Mark told him.

So he forced Trevor to putt the comebacker from the fringe. Trevor knocked it in.

"Now you're good to go," his brother said.

The lesson was never better illustrated than on the 11th hole in the final round. While Tiger Woods was missing a short birdie putt at 13 and Steve Flesch was making a mess of the 12th, Trevor was struggling after a perfect drive on 11. He pushed his approach wide right and his chip came up short on the apron, about 15 feet from the cup. But Trevor coolly sank his putt to save par -- turning a two-shot lead into a four-shot gap.

"To make that putt was huge because 11 is such a difficult hole and par is a great score," Trevor said. "You win majors by saving par."

Trevor led the field in driving accuracy and tied for fourth in putting.

"If you feel good with the putter, the second shot feels a lot easier," Rotella said. "That took a lot of pressure off the rest of his game."

Reach Scott Michaux at (706) 823-3219 or scott.michaux@augustachronicle.com.