Dubai Desert Classic: Martin Kaymer motivated to bounce back from Abu Dhabi collapse

Martin Kaymer believes he has nothing to prove when he features for the first time since his Abu Dhabi collapse at this week's Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

The reigning US Open champion was set for his first European Tour title of 2015 a fortnight ago at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, but squandered a ten stroke lead on the final day as France's Gary Stal claimed one-shot victory. 

Kaymer carded a double-bogey and triple-bogey during a three-over final round 75 in the Desert Swing opener, but doesn't feel any extra pressure to put in a strong performance this weekend. 

“I didn't come here to Dubai to prove to others that I could win a golf tournament, the world No 12 said. “I've proved many, many times before that I can win.

“I feel very, very good, very calm, about this week because I'm fine. I'm fine what happened in Abu Dhabi. I didn't lose much when you think about it. I lost a few World Ranking points, a trophy and some money. But I can handle all of those things.

“I’ve been in many situations that were more difficult, more important, so I know it has nothing to do with my game.”

Kaymer will have world No 1 Rory McIlroy and South African Open Championship winner Andy Sullivan as playing partners in the first two rounds, with former Desert Classic winners Henrik Stenson and Ernie Els also featuring among a high profile field. 

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Learning curve

Kaymer's best performance in Dubai came with a runner-up finish behind Tiger Woods in 2008, with the German making his first appearance since 2012 after missing the previous two years to play in the PGA's Phoenix Open. 

The 30-year-old has admitted that throwing away Abu Dhabi victory earlier this month was a 'new situation' for him, although believes there are positives to take into the rest of the season.  

“I don't want to call it (Abu Dhabi) a bad experience, because it's not a bad experience," Kaymer added. "They are not nice when it happens, but afterwards, you are even more motivated because you grow a lot on the golf course, as a golf player and also as a person.

"It was almost like a life lesson, not only a golf lesson that I got there. It would create a bad result on the scorecard, but it creates a lot of truth about yourself; that we are not machines.

It does work, usually, but once in a while, it gets stuck too and for me to learn that made it, in some ways, a brilliant day for me.”

Watch the Omega Dubai Desert Classic live on Thursday from 6am on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golf