When Martin Kaymer won the Abu Dhabi Championship in mid-January, he called his final round 6-under 66, "The nicest round of golf I have ever played on the European Tour.”While he probably wouldn't call yesterday's contentious conclusion to PGA Championship "nice", he did emerge as the winner... of a major championship... and Germany's first potential successor to Bernhard Langer's golf glory.
The baby-faced 25-year-old sealed his spot in the upcoming Ryder Cup with yesterday's win... and undoubtedly added some luster to Germany's bid to host the event in 2018.
Also, with golf now an Olympic Sport, the growth potential of the game... in a country where it's still sometimes thought of as a pastime for wealthy retirees... is likely to be embraced with added enthusiasm.
On a tumultuous day where the lead changed hands half a dozen times and a controversial ruling overshadowed a dramatic finish, Martin Kaymer, an under-the-radar young gun, demonstrated that he was a force to be reckoned with, and probably will be for a long time.
Photo: Ross Kinard, Getty Images
It was really great to add Kaymer to my personal list of young golfers to be excited about yesterday. His victory marks the beginning of a new era in golf in which Tiger and Phil will not be the only players who receive attention.
ReplyDeleteRory, Ryo, Kaymer, Louie (hopefully), AK, DJ, Bubba, etc. represent a ton of the young talent on Tour. We're in for some great golf over the course of the next couple of decades.
If not for Lefty, the US would've been shut out in Major Championships this year.
ReplyDeleteScore one for Northern Ireland, South Africa and Germany.
On a side note, I want Rickie Fowlers golf outfits. Yes, even the all orange one.
I felt so, so bad for DJ. But he handled it well. He's young and talented and I'm sure his time will come. Meanwhile Martin Kaymer is a gracious champion. :o)
ReplyDeleteRules are rules no matter what. These days with all the gossip and tabloids and silliness going on things have a way of getting lax and sloppy. It's too bad Dustin Johnson had to pay the price for a competition that had gotten out of control, but what happened may serve as a wake-up call to players and organizers, at least for the time being.
ReplyDeleteWalter Timly
Newton,MA
I am very much looking forward to Ryder Cup now with potentially two Germans playing. Rumors are that Langer might be picked by the captain of the European Team for his experience.
ReplyDelete