Between 2008 and 2011, Martin Kaymer ruled the roost at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, sealing three Falcon Trophies and setting records, including lowest tournament total and widest margin of victory.
The wire-to-wire win in 2008 was his first professional triumph, and he returns to the National Course this week as a former world No 1, a two-time major champion and an established member of the dominant European Ryder Cup team.
Abu Dhabi obviously still ranks high among Kaymer's favourite tournaments – since 2008, he has kept his golf gloves in a plastic bag emblazoned with the Abu Dhabi Golf Club logo. John McAuley speaks to the German about his affiliation with the event, and his career.
q You had come close in Sweden and Wales before breaking through on the European Tour with victory here in 2008. Looking back, how important was that win, in terms of a shift in attitude, etc, and what is your strongest memory from that week?
a Winning for the first time on the European Tour was an amazing feeling and something I will never forget, especially because I have played well in Abu Dhabi since and love going back to compete. I guess my attitude changed a bit in the sense that I believed I could win and compete with some of the best golfers in the world and finish the job. I came into that week thinking about trying to make it into the world’s top 60 and I climbed to 35 with the win, so I think one of my strongest memories was finding out what doors opened for me as a result of the victory.
q You had played brilliantly to hold the 54-hole lead and went into the final day with a six-shot advantage. But then three consecutive bogeys on the front nine brought you back to the rest of the field. Describe the emotions of that final round and what you learnt from it.
a I noticed that [Henrik] Stenson and [Lee] Westwood were chasing me the whole of the final round and I knew I was struggling a little bit, so my emotions in comparison to the first three days were different – I was a little bit nervous. My caddie actually noticed that I was a bit edgy, so he kept talking to me to help keep me calm. The biggest lesson I took from the round was that I had to keep my aggressive mindset and stick to my game plan of hitting fairways and greens. My brother Phillip noticed earlier in the year that, when I try to protect a lead, I start to leave putts short, so I tried to bear that in mind when I began to get a bit tentative.
q You come into this tournament off the back of a superb season, with victories in two of the year’s most prominent tournaments – the US Open and Players Championship – and the Ryder Cup success, too. What has been the key to your turnaround in form? Describe the difficulties you faced in the period when the results were not quite as positive as you expected.
a It’s hard to put my turnaround to anything in particular because I just kept trying to believe in myself and focus on the main thing that I’m always trying to achieve, which is to challenge myself and play my own golf against the golf course and not think about playing against the other guys out there. 2013 was my first full season on the PGA Tour, so I was dividing my time between Europe and America and it definitely took me a while to get used to it. When things weren’t quite going my way I just kept thinking about the good results I had achieved, so when I finished 2013 with a few good results, I went in to 2014 with positive thoughts.
q Given your recent success, how close do you feel you are to being at the level you expect to be at – to being the finished product?
a I’m always looking to improve and I want to become a complete player, so I wouldn’t say I could ever be the finished product. But I’m extremely happy with how I performed in 2014 and the way I dealt with the lead in both the Players and the US Open. I love playing in Abu Dhabi, so hopefully I can continue my form and start 2015 where I left off and keep making my way back up those rankings.
q You have achieved a significant amount since your first victory in Abu Dhabi. In what areas do you feel you have improved the most – not just with the 14 clubs, but the mental side, too?
a Since winning for the first time, I think I have learnt to be more patient on the course and stick to my game plan no matter what happens. I think that sort of mental attitude comes with experience. It’s certainly a side of the game I hope will continue to improve.
q The most impressive victory of your career came at the US Open at Pinehurst last June. How did beating Bubba Watson in the 2010 US PGA play-off help you secure your second major? In what way was the pressure different?
a The pressure was so much different at Pinehurst because it was mine to lose after my opening 36 holes. In 2010, I didn't really know what was happening and I was surprised by my performance. I knew I was playing well, but I just hadn't expected to win a major at 25 years old. Even the pressure that comes with winning a major was different, from being on the news to dealing with the attention in Germany and wherever I went. In 2010, I found it difficult to handle and play good golf at the same time as I always felt that I had to say something special in interviews. But now I'm more experienced and relaxed – I enjoyed the press that went with the victory at Pinehurst and enjoyed the moment.
jmcauley@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter at @SprtNationalUAE