The 2014 Players Champion, Martin Kaymer, was on a tear this week at Pinehurst Resort and Country Club’s No. 2 course. Through the first 36 holes of the championship, Kaymer shot 65-65 to enter the weekend at 130 strokes (10-under par), setting a 36-hole US Open scoring record. On Saturday, he played fairly well and kept his cool during a rough stretch of holes, shooting a 2-over par 72 to stay at 8-under par and keep a five shot lead heading into Sunday over 25-year old Rickie Fowler. Rickie would finish T2 with Erik Compton at 1-under par and has 3 top-10 finishes in his last five Major championships.
Through Sunday, we saw the same steady, confident play of Martin Kaymer. He would finish the tournament and win the US Open with a tournament total of 9-under par (8-shot victory), becoming the fourth European in the past five years to win the US Open. No players seemed to be able to make a run at the 29-year old German today, particularly the favourites entering the Championship on Thursday. Phil Mickelson, who said he had been driving the ball tremendously, could not get his putter working for him and would go another year without completing the career Grand Slam after a record six runner-up finishes. Perhaps, with his victories on links course last year, he’ll be able to make a run at it in 2015 at Chambers Bay Golf Course.
World number 1 Adam Scott, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Keegan Bradley, Graeme McDowell and defending champion Justin Rose also could not build the momentum needed to catch Kaymer. Rickie Fowler, after a third round 67, started the final round 5-shots back and may have had the best chance to contend for his first Major championship, but was not able to make enough birdies.
Kaymer has gone through a swing change over the past couple of years since his PGA Championship victory at Whistling Straits in 2010. His play had struggled, but it’s certainly looked like he’s come full circle with his game. The winning putt at Medinah during the 2012 Ryder Cup really gave him confidence and might have been the turning point with his swing change. With such a strong year so far, we’re sure that we’re going to see a lot more of Martin Kaymer, but in the meantime, make sure to discover the Mystery of Martin Kaymer and take a look behind the scenes at life on the road and on the PGA TOUR with Kaymer.
Pinehurst No. 2 will now host the US Women’s Open this week, the first time in history a course has held both the Men’s and Women’s US Open back to back! We’re excited to watch how the LPGA pros tackle this challenging test of golf! Make sure to catch this preview and see flyover videos of all 18 holes at the No. 2 course!
Source: US Open
