ABU DHABI // Martin Kaymer approached the greenside bunker on his 10th hole at the National Course on Friday, saw his ball lying in the sand and caked with mud, noted the pin placed right in front and let go an audible sigh.
It was perfectly understandable, given he had just climbed to 11-under par midway through his second round, thus stretching his lead at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship to four shots. Thursday momentum well and truly maintained, the German probably expected to lose a little traction.
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His apprehension was expertly articulated by Wayne Reily, the on-course analyst for Sky Sports, who quietly relayed the situation back to the studio. Getting up and down, Reilly said, would prove pretty difficult.
He obviously did not get the memo. Kaymer, a three-time winner here, promptly settled into the sand, swiped his club and watched the ball roll straight into the cup for birdie. Easy does it.
Eventually signing for a 67, and a tournament total 13-under, even Kaymer was a little lost for words.
“I just don’t know what to say,” he said. “Eight-under yesterday was obviously special and 13-under is a great score after two days. I’m just playing very well right now.”
You figure? Then again, at this place, Kaymer does not really do anything else. Granted, there was an uncharacteristic missed cut in 2012 - as he battled substantial swing changes - but a cursory glance at the event’s record books belies his dominance: largest 36-hole and 54-hole leads (both six shots), largest winning margin (eight shots), lowest ever tournament total (24-under).
Coming back to a course he rates as his fourth favourite on the planet, the memory bank is rather healthily stocked in the black.
“It’s pretty much the only tournament where I stand on the first tee and I know I’ve birdied every single hole,” Kaymer said. “So it’s a very positive feeling. But it’s a fine line so you don’t put yourself under pressure at the same time. It’s important you don’t start over-motivated, but just let things fall into place.”
It has worked well so far. Although Kaymer was quick to remind that he leads only at the midway point – “it’s only half-time” – he has proved that, when out in front, typically there is no stopping him. He currently holds a one-shot lead over Belgium’s Thomas Pieters, with world No 1 Rory McIlroy lurking a further shot back.
Last season’s US Open provides a pretty recent case in point. Having established a six-hole advantage over the Pinehurst field by the close of play Friday, Kaymer’s second major triumph quickly morphed into a relative procession. Finishing 9-under, his 72-hole score was the second lowest in championship history. In fact, such was his supremacy, Kaymer resolved to challenging himself at what is traditionally the rota’s most challenging major.
“I was trying to see how low I can play the US Open,” he said. “I kept playing my own game, stayed aggressive even on difficult shots. You are there for a reason, leading a major by four or five shots for a reason, because you’re playing well. I can compare those experiences to here a little bit, because they’re positive.”
It seems strange now, but Kaymer was not so positive coming into this week. The world No 12 decided to slightly alter his off-season, and spent time skiing in Italy simply to free the mind of all things golf.
He ramped up preparations for this 2015 debut with extensive practice last week in Dubai, initially chained to the range for up to eight hours a day. Attempting to regain that feel lost during the winter break, the dedication has certainly paid dividends. Kaymer’s game is hot to trot.
“I’m happy I started off the year very positive,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what happens the next two days in that, what I have done in the winter, hasn’t been wrong.
“That was important because I had a little bit of a bad conscience because I haven’t practiced as much as in the past, so it worked out pretty well. I’m happy with that.”
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