Monday 16 June 2014 09:30, UK
Martin Kaymer set his sights on winning the Open Championship at Hoylake to complete a 'German Grand Slam' following his dominant triumph in the US Open.
Kaymer cruised to an eight-shot wire-to-wire victory over Rickie Fowler and Erik Compton at Pinehurst to add the US Open title to his US PGA Championship victory in 2010.
And with his friend and mentor Bernhard Langer having won the US Masters twice, the Open is the only major championship yet to have been won by a German player.
"We almost have the German Grand Slam - it's only the Open missing," Kaymer joked after a final round of 69 gave him a nine-under-par total of 271. "Winning the PGA, winning this one now, I hope it will make Bernhard proud. I'm sure it will make all Germany proud.
"To win the Masters is a huge thing and that's why I needed to adjust a few things in my swing to play better there."
That was a reference to the work Kaymer undertook on his swing shortly after a fourth successive missed cut at Augusta in 2011, his eight-week spell as world number one coming to an end just two weeks later.
Despite subsequent wins in Shanghai and Sun City, the 29-year-old gradually slid down the rankings and was 61st just six weeks ago before winning the Players Championship at Sawgrass.
That wire-to-wire win was achieved on Mother's Day and his US Open triumph on Father's Day in the United States, although he added: "We've had Father's Day in Germany already a couple of weeks ago and I didn't get my father anything, so maybe this works.
"I did not make many mistakes the last two wins - especially this week. I played very solid the first two days and that gave me a good cushion for today."
Kaymer took a five-shot lead into the final round and was never less than four shots clear, with Fowler's chances effectively disappearing when he ran up a double-bogey six on the fourth.
"Martin was playing his own tournament. No-one was catching him," Fowler said.
Compton had the consolation of securing a debut in the Masters next year by virtue of his share of second place. He was playing just the second major of his career at the age of 34 at Pinehurst after undergoing two heart transplants.
"It's huge," he said. "From where I was a few years ago, and now I'm able to play in major championships. And I think I showed the world today that I'm capable of playing good golf under extreme pressure and heat, and I think I showed myself.
"When I go back and assess what I did this week, I think there's still some room for improvement and maybe I scared myself into thinking that I can actually play this game.
"You can't ever give up. We all have adversity in our lives - some are different than others. I've been on my back twice and I never thought I would ever leave the house. Now I just finished second at the US Open, which I don't think anybody would have ever thought I would do - not even myself.
"I think my mom summed it up pretty well the other night. She said 'Erik's a golfer with two transplants, not a transplant recipient that plays golf'. I'm just so thrilled to be here and playing at this level and I think I finally had that feeling of putting myself on the map.
"And now I've just got to keep going out and trying my best. But I don't have anything to really prove to anybody any more. If I never played golf again for the rest of my life, I think that I have made my mark in this game."
Kaymer, Fowler and Compton were the only players to finish under par, with Keegan Bradley, Jason Day, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson tied for fourth on one over.
"Martin kind of killed the event in the first two days," said Stenson, who would have replaced Adam Scott as world number one with a victory. "He went out and shot two 65s and left everyone in the dust.
"It was really Saturday that was the important day, that he didn't let anybody too close. So very impressive and a very deserving champion."
