ABU DHABI // While Henrik Stenson was doing his best to prove practice is overrated, Martin Kaymer admitted a guilty conscience led him to cancel his regular off-season skiing trip, and head to the range instead.
The German ended years of taking it easy over the Christmas break in favour of a concerted effort to fine-tune his game.
The extra practice paid dividends in his first competitive round of 2017. Kaymer carded a six-under 66 to finish the opening day of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship two strokes behind leader Stenson.
Since he last teed it up at the start of last month, Stenson had hit the slopes of Utah more times than he did golf balls. That used to be Kaymer’s modus operandi as well, but not this winter.
“The last two years, I went skiing, too,” said Kaymer, the last of whose 23 career wins came at the 2014 US Open.
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“But I had a bad conscience in the winter-time because, every winter since 2005 I spent in America over Christmas and New Year.
“Then the last two years, I went skiing. Especially after my 2014 season, when I won my second major, you kind of take it a little bit easier.
“You see it in the next year on the golf course. I had a lot of top 10 finishes, but that little bit that you need in order to win was missing. Therefore I went back to America and practiced.”
Kaymer has won three times around the National Course, although not since 2011. The former world No 1 is now down at 53 in the standings, and he said he started a “long-term journey” to rise again by way of the work he did in the off season.
“Success sometimes doesn’t come right away, and I didn’t expect myself to shoot great scores here right away,” he said.
“If it happens, it happens, but it was not what I was expecting. It’s more like a long-term journey that I’m trying to start.
“That’s why I didn’t take too much time off. I think it will pay off during the year, not only one or two rounds.”
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hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
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