Kaymer keeps it calm

30 September 2016 - 09:46 By AFP, Reuters

Germany's Martin Kaymer gets more attention for his tense 2m putt to complete Europe's astonishing 2012 Ryder Cup fightback victory than for any tournament he has ever won. The 31-year-old captain's choice pondered his place in Ryder Cup lore yesterday, the eve of the 41st Ryder Cup at Hazeltine in Minnesota, where Europe seeks an unprecedented fourth win in a row over the US."People definitely recognise my career more because of the Ryder Cup putt than any other tournament I ever won," said Kaymer, a two-time major champion."I was glad to make something amazing happen. There's nothing to compare it with."Kaymer, who won the 2010 PGA Championship and 2014 US Open, would be seen as a likely leader after helping the past three Europe wins, but he prefers a quieter role that lets him focus on results."I don't see myself as somebody who has to be a leader just because it's my fourth time," he said.Kaymer has learned that he doesn't have to duplicate the heroics when grinding through a match and has tried to pass on the lesson."I thought the entire week I need to make something special happen, hit special or amazing golf shots," Kaymer said."So you think you need to do that, too. So I was not free enough to really play." Now he knows better."I hope the rookies somehow try to find a way to calm down and enjoy what they do," Kaymer said.Meanwhile, Phil Mickelson sparked a verbal spat with former US captain Hal Sutton at Hazeltine over America's failure at the 2004 Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills.Mickelson criticised Sutton for his late decision that week to pair the left-hander with Tiger Woods, the world's two top-ranked players at the time. They went on to lose both matches against Europe."We were told two days before that we were playing together, and that gave us no time to prepare," Mickelson told reporters. "Had we had time to prepare, I think we would have made it work."Sutton shot back a verbal volley in Mickelson's direction."I find it amusing that that's an issue at the 2016 Ryder Cup," Sutton told Golfweek magazine."I think Phil better get his mind on what he needs to have it on this week instead of on something that happened 10 years ago," he said. ..

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