GOLF EUROPEAN TOUR NEWS:SUPER-CONFIDENT Martin Kaymer lived up to his own hype with a four-shot win in the KLM Open at Hilversum yesterday to register the fifth victory in a row by a member of Europe's Ryder Cup team.
“I think I am ready to win again,” the world number six had said on the eve of his return to action after three weeks off celebrating his first major title at the USPGA championship.
Kaymer’s second successive victory takes him more than €498,000 clear of Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell – Europe’s other current major champion – at the top of the European Tour money list.
The 25-year-old German, who from one in front shot a near-flawless 66 for a 14-under-par aggregate of 266, joins another cup team-mate, Miguel Angel Jimenez, as a three-time winner this season.
“I felt very strong and I was very patient,” said Kaymer after pushing Swede Christian Nilsson and Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zanotti into a distant second place.
“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’s triumph at Whistling Straits last month started the amazing run of success by Colin Montgomerie’s men. Peter Hanson won a week later at the Czech Open, then Edoardo Molinari in the Johnnie Walker Championship and Jimenez last week at the Omega European Masters.
Kaymer, who says his top choices as partners for Celtic Manor would be Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood and Luke Donald, now heads back to his Arizona base to prepare for his cup debut.
His only mistake on the final day was a bogey at the short 10th, but he had gone to the turn in 33 to be three clear and a birdie two holes later widened the gap again.
Nilsson did chip in on the 210-yard 15th, but followed it with a bogey and Kaymer knew the €300,000 first prize was his after making a 10-foot putt on the same hole.
He added another birdie on the par-five last for good measure, while Zanotti and Nilsson, producing performances that will ensure they keep their Tour cards for next season, also two-putted there for fours that lifted them clear of Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, England’s David Horsey and Spanish pair Jose Manuel Lara and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano.
Francesco Molinari and Ross Fisher were the other two Ryder Cup players in the field and they finished eighth and 11th respectively.
Darren Clarke was best of the Irish contingent. He shot a finishing 68 and finished in a tie for 17th place on a six-under tally of 276. Damien McGrane was two shots further back following his closing 69. Gareth Maybin also shot a 69 and Shane Lowry a closing 70 while Peter Lawrie and Simon Thornton both recorded 71s and Michael Hoey a 75.
Golf Scores
KLM OPEN
Hilversumsche GC, Hilversum, Netherlands
(Irish in boldand Brit unless stated, par 70):
266- Martin Kaymer (Ger) 67 67 66 66.
270- Christian Nilsson (Swe) 68 65 68 69, Fabrizio Zanotti (Par) 68 68 65 69.
271- David Horsey 67 67 69 68, Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 73 67 66 65, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spa) 66 69 67 69, Jose Manuel Lara (Spa) 67 68 71 65
272- Francesco Molinari (Ita) 68 71 67 66, Felipe Aguilar (Chi) 69 69 68 66, Nicolas Colsaerts (Bel) 62 70 70 70.
273- Daniel Vancsik (Arg) 68 66 71 68, Chris Wood 67 70 70 66, Shiv Kapur (Ind) 64 68 70 71, Ross Fisher 65 74 68 66, Todd Hamilton (USA) 66 67 70 70, Tano Goya (Arg) 65 70 71 67.
274- Christian Cevaer (Fra) 72 68 66 68, Robert Coles 67 72 67 68, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 66 67 71 70, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 67 67 72 68, Darren Clarke68 71 67 68.
275- John Parry 70 67 70 68, Markus Brier (Aut) 68 69 71 67, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 69 69 70 67, James Morrison 68 69 70 68.
276- Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 69 65 71 71, Damien McGrane68 67 72 69, Matteo Manassero (Ita) 68 72 69 67, Kenneth Ferrie 64 72 70 70, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 65 70 69 72, Graeme Storm 69 70 71 66, Brett Rumford (Aus) 69 65 72 70, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 70 68 69 69.
277- Jeppe Huldahl (Den) 68 71 67 71, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 68 70 68 71, Peter Lawrie69 68 69 71, David Lynn 67 71 69 70, Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 69 69 70 69, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 66 70 74 67, Alejandro Canizares (Spa) 68 68 70 71, Thomas Levet (Fra) 68 72 66 71.
278- Richard Bland 72 68 69 69, Robert Karlsson (Swe) 67 68 74 69, Thomas Aiken (Rsa) 68 71 69 70, Eirik Tage Johansen (Nor) 72 66 69 71, Scott Strange (Aus) 72 68 71 67, Danny Willett 67 67 75 69, Clodomiro Carranza (Arg) 70 69 69 70, Cameron Tringale (USA) 70 70 68 70.
279- Jose-Filipe Lima (Por) 65 72 72 70, Jurrian Van der vaart (Ned) 70 70 71 68, Shane Lowry71 69 69 70, David Dixon 71 69 70 69, Sion E Bebb 70 68 72 69, Alastair Forsyth 66 74 69 70, Peter O'Malley (Aus) 68 69 73 69.
280 - Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 70 68 69 73, Joost Luiten (Ned) 65 69 75 71, Gareth Maybin 72 67 72 69, Oskar Henningsson (Swe) 72 65 73 70, Simon Thornton 69 71 70 70, George Coetzee (Rsa) 69 69 76 66, Michael Hoey 72 67 66 75.
281- Richie Ramsay 65 72 69 75, David Howell 69 71 73 68, Sam Little 67 71 73 70.
282- Paul Waring 67 68 76 71, Nick Dougherty 65 72 73 72.
283- Steve Webster 69 68 76 70, Tim Sluiter (Ned) 70 69 73 71, Julien Guerrier (Fra) 71 68 73 71.
284- Rafael Cabrera Bello 68 71 70 75.
285- Sam Hutsby 71 67 73 74, Gary Boyd 71 69 73 72.
286- Johan Edfors (Swe) 67 73 71 75.
287- Martin Erlandsson (Swe) 68 70 78 71, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 70 70 73 74
289- Danny Lee (Nzl) 67 72 77 73.
