Kaymer strolls to victory at KLM Open
Martin Kaymer took victory at the KLM Open in the Netherlands yesterday to win for the third time this season.
In a display that will have heartened European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie, the best German golfer since Bernhard Langer swept to a four-stroke victory at Hilversumsche after shooting four-under-par 66 in the final round, the same score the ultra-steady 25-year-old had produced the day before.
On Sunday Kaymer found five birdies and a bogey, finishing with a flourish on the 18th with a birdie, though by then the result was never in doubt. On his comeback performance following three weeks off after winning the PGA Championship, Kaymer showed he was in fine form as he gears up to travel to Celtic Manor in October, in a bid to aid Europe wrest the Ryder Cup back from America.
Kaymer's win makes for the fifth victory by a member of Montgomerie's Ryder Cup team since the German beat Bubba Watson at Whistling Straits in August. In the meantime Sweden's Peter Hanson has won the Czech Open, Edoardo Molinari was victorious at the Johnnie Walker Championship, and Miguel Ángel Jiménez won at last week's Omega European Masters at his 22nd attempt.
Back in Holland, Paraguay's Fabrizio Zanotti was tied for second place on 10-under, having shot one-under on the final day with two bogeys and three birdies; it was a similar story for the other runner-up, Sweden's Christian Nilsson, who found three bogeys but also four birdies during his last round.
Open Championship winner Louis Oosthuizen was amongst those tied for fourth place on nine-under, while another Ryder Cup competitor, Italy's Francesco Molinari was eight-under after shooting six birdies and two bogeys on his final round. England's Ross Fisher, another man who will turn out for Monty in Newport next month, was a shot further back on seven-under for the tournament.
Kaymer, who won the Race to Dubai Golfer of the Month award for his major victory in the USA last month, admitted: "I felt very strong and I was very patient. The Majors are the biggest tournaments we play all year and if you win one of those it gives you probably the biggest confidence you can get."
"It was my goal to play well here, but I was not expecting to win again. It's a nice feeling."
Kaymer has expressed a preference to play alongside Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy or Luke Donald at Celtic Manor, but on this evidence the world No. 5 can be relied upon to put in a dependable performance no matter who he's paired with.
Though, with US Ryder Cup player Dustin Johnson winning the BMW Championship this week, the Europeans shouldn't be under the illusion that they're going to have everything their own way in Wales. This year's Ryder is shaping up to be a humdinger, alright.
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