Martin Kaymer needs to justify Ryder Cup inclusion

Martin kaymer managed to cling to the final place for an automatic spot on the European Ryder Cup team to face the US at Medinah next month. Stuart Franklin / Getty Images

Martin Kaymer said this week he feels "a little relieved" to make the European Ryder Cup team for Medinah next month.

The German occupied the final automatic spot going into the Johnnie Walker Championship - the last event to affect qualification - but skipped Gleneagles, much to the surprise of anyone who has witnessed the 2010 US PGA champion's alarming slump in form.

He managed to cling to the top 10 but now - with the wild cards chosen and the team finalised - the focus shifts back to the Kaymer conundrum. How will Jose Maria Olazabal, the European captain, get the best from a man so out of sorts during his last competitive outing, the US PGA?

Two 79s at Kiawah Island prompted Kaymer to call a timeout, enter a brief period of introspection and commit to hours on the practice range. He was even rumoured to be considering forfeiting his place on the team.

Kaymer has three weeks to find form. He contests titles in Holland and Italy before boarding the plane for Chicago, yet Olazabal will seek a marked improvement to allay any fears.

In 2010 Kaymer struggled under the Ryder Cup's intense spotlight - he relied heavily on Lee Westwood in the fourballs and was blown away in the singles by Dustin Johnson - despite only a month before sealing his first major.

Kaymer says he has made "a lot of progress" since his US PGA horror show.

He will need to prove it in the coming weeks.

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