Langer impressed with Kaymer's mental strength and approach
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents
MARANA, Ariz. -- Martin Kaymer walked out on his balcony at the Ritz-Carlton on Sunday morning and surveyed the remnants of a rare winter storm, looking out with a bit of wonder on the bizarre blanket of white that had coated the Arizona desert.
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"I was enjoying the moment a little bit, knowing I will become the No. 1 in the world tomorrow," Kaymer recalled. "There's not a lot to say about that. It was a very enjoyable moment this morning."
The afternoon, not quite so much. And not just because of the sleet that fell briefly as the 26-year-old German lost to Luke Donald 3 and 2 in the finals of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. But the runner-up finish at Dove Mountain did nothing to change Kaymer's position in the new world order.
"It was a very good week for me," Kaymer said. "Of course I was hoping to win today. I was trying everything I could, I just didn't play as good as the last few days. And the way Luke plays, even a decent round isn't enough."
Kaymer, who won the 2010 PGA Championship, is the second man from Germany to rise to No. 1 in the world, and the first in 25 years. Bernhard Langer led the rankings for the first three weeks they existed in 1986 -- when Kaymer was just 14 months old.
Langer has watched Kaymer's career with great interest since the two first met at a European Tour event in Hamburg, Germany about four years ago. Since that time, the two have played practice rounds together, including at the Masters, which Kaymer will enter as one of the favorites this year.
"From a golfing standpoint, he can do anything," Langer said Sunday afternoon when reached by cell phone during a casual round of golf with friends. "To me, it's no surprise that he will be No. 1.
"I think it's wonderful. It's fantastic. It's what German golf needs. He's a great role model. I am very pleased for him. I hope he stays up there for many, many years."
Kaymer is the first German golfer to rise to prominence since Langer, who won more than 60 times around the globe, including two Masters, and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2002. Now 53, Langer plays most of his golf on the Champions Tour where he's a three-time Player of the Year.
Langer said the junior programs in Germany aren't on a par with those in other countries, and while various golf clubs and the national federation have tried to grow the game, Germany still lags behind. "And we obviously have some bad weather on top of everything," he said.
"But I am sure this will give German golf a boost. First of all, there will be more golf on TV and in the press. More people will get exposed to the game; more amateurs and especially more youngsters."
As impressed as Langer is with the way Kaymer plays, he's equally taken with the world No. 1's mental toughness and even-keeled approach both on and off the course. And coming from Langer, one of the game's toughest competitors, that's high praise.
"I think he's pretty good at everything," the veteran said. "He hits it long. He hits it straight. He's getting better and better with his short game. And he has a very good head on his shoulders and that's what counts."
Kaymer, for his part, says his calm demeanor is "very German. If you know Bernhard Langer the way he is on the golf course, I think it's very good for golf. For me it helps me a lot to stay calm. Of course I'm mad at times; I'm excited about some things. But I think for myself I know I'm always trying to put a hundred percent in there."
Kaymer's rise to the top of the Official World Golf Ranking has been nothing short of "phenomenal," Langer said. He remembers people telling him about this young German kid who could shoot 61s and 62s and was beating his opponents by six or eight shots. "And I go, really? Really?" Langer said.
Kaymer joined the European Challenge Tour in August of 2006 when he was 21 -- shortly after he'd shot a 59 in competition on the mini-tours. In just eight tournaments, he won twice, finished fourth on the money list and earned his European Tour card. Four years later, Kaymer won his first major and the European Tour's marquee Race to Dubai.
"Five years ago, I hadn't heard of Martin Kaymer," Langer said. "When I think of that, and how quickly he has come through the ranks, it's unbelievable."
As one No. 1 to another, Langer says he doesn't think Kaymer needs too much advice. But he would tell him not to chase the "quick dollar" and stretch himself thin by playing too many places around the world.
"He's still young," Langer said. "He's only 26. He doesn't need to be all over the place. He should play the big events. He should make sure he stays healthy and continues to have a good circle of friends."
Kaymer, who has a home in Scottsdale, plans to take this week off to let things sink in before he heads to TPC Blue Monster for the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship. Kaymer joked on Saturday when the move to No. 1 became official after he reached the championship match that he wanted a photograph of his name atop the rankings for posterity.
"Definitely I need some time to think about it," he said. "... But I can say one thing for sure, you know, it's a very proud moment. Not only for me, I think for my family, for the people who helped me and, you know, for Germany, as well. To be the second German, I think it was maybe '86, '87 when Bernhard Langer was No. 1. It was a long time ago.
"And to be the second is a nice feeling."
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