CADDIE'S ROLE:Germany has found a worthy and admirable successor to the great Bernhard Langer, writes Colin Byrne

THERE WAS a victory of monumental German proportions in Munich last Sunday. The Germans have waited a long time for a home winner of their BMW Championship; it has been two decades since the inaugural event, and even the great Bernhard Langer has never managed to capture the title during a long career as a serious contender in world golf.

The wunderkind Martin Kaymer overcame an abundance of emotional upset and one serious mental error on the 65th hole, where a three-shot lead was wiped out as he splashed his way to a triple-bogey eight. This probably brought him even closer to the patriotic crowd that lined each fairway heavily armed with the national flag and ever eager to encourage their young hero.

Triple bogeys are something with which many German amateurs can identify. Despite the size and affluence of the nation, and a quite sophisticated system for introducing amateurs to the game, golf does not seem to thrive in Germany.

Langer was an exception. He grew up in southern Germany not far from where the physics genius Albert Einstein was born. In golfing terms Langer was himself a genius and despite his relatively good form as he approaches his 51st year it is time for the nation to pin hopes of further success on the 23-year-old from Dusseldorf.

Kaymer is the modern version of Langer. He is big but not brash, clever and never cocky. He clearly respects his fellow competitors but is also quietly confident about his own ability.

Martin made a low-key if promising entrance to the European Tour. He qualified through the Challenge Tour in 2006 and got everyone's attention last year as he appeared frequently on leaderboards, posting some eye-catchingly low rounds on tough courses.

It wasn't just the scores that impressed; it was also what he said when interviewed - he was modest and made sense.

Although the equipment manufacturers and management groups were schmoozing the bright new star, the Kaymer camp were patient and disciplined in making their choices.

A hundred loopers must have given Martin their number last year when he announced he would be choosing a new tour caddie this year instead of using his brother and local caddies, as he did last year. There is no doubt he was a prize catch for a manufacturer, manager and caddie.

Martin has had a strong association with the Swedish caddie Fanny Sunesson since his early days on the German amateur team.

Fanny has created a niche for herself as advisor and consultant to several golf groups, the German Golf Association being one of them. In fact the relationship Kaymer has with Sunesson is ground-breaking from a professional golf perspective. It is an indication of the original thinking in the Kaymer camp.

Most new players search out established management groups in their early quest to find their way on tour.

Realistically, an experienced caddie should be well placed to give objective advice to a young player without vested interests determining the strategy. It was quite likely Fanny's advice that led to the patient approach to building a support team for Kaymer.

He chose as his management team the Swedish-based Sportsyard group, who work mainly with European players. They offer a comparatively low-key service with a very personal approach.

Kaymer signed club and ball deals with Titleist. The final piece in the jigsaw, the caddie, was chosen by Sunesson, which of course is very unusual; normally it is the player who recognises a caddie he feels will suit him,

That he let her nominate a caddie for him shows how much Martin trusts Fanny. She chose Justin Grenfell-Hoyle, an Australian who has worked for many players these past 15 years. He was selected for his quiet, conscientious and professional approach, which fits snugly with the Kaymer way.

Despite frequent visits to the leaderboard last year, Kaymer did not register his first Tour victory till earlier this year in the Middle East. He had a strong lead going into the final day at Abu Dhabi and, probably feeling the pressure, scraped his way through the last round to win eventually by a narrow margin.

In Munich last weekend it seemed like Abu Dhabi revisited. Martin took a six-shot lead and the expectation of an entire nation onto the Nord-Eichenried course, which was draped in German flags. Most golfers will admit that pleasing an excited home crowd is among the most difficult challenges in golf.

A six-shot lead sounds insurmountable in professional golf, but of course with the skills of those ahead of you on the course, your six shots can disappear quicker than your ball in a murky greenside pond.

Kaymer's lead did indeed dwindle. With back-pedalling, the crowd's expectations and the constant worry over his mother, who was ill in hospital, the young German showed Langer-like tenacity and grit to birdie the last hole and set up a play-off with Anders Hansen from Denmark.

His five-iron second shot on the first play-off hole came to rest about 12 feet from the hole and the eagle sealed his second tour victory and left nobody in doubt about what Martin Kaymer is made of.

There is indeed a new order in German professional golf and it comes in the shape of a 23-year-old from Dusseldorf.

Martin Kaymer has catapulted up the world rankings thanks to a combination of great talent and wise planning.

The Germans should keep their national flags to hand because there will be plenty of opportunity in the years ahead to wave them around the fairways of the world in support of a man with a very bright future.