Martin Kaymer has vowed to give his “special” home fans something to cheer about this week when he bids for a second success in the BMW International Open.
The home hero, whose defence of his US Open Championship title ended prematurely when he missed the cut last week, won the BMW International Open in 2008, but has recorded just one top ten finish in the event since then.
One benefit of missing the weekend’s action at Chambers Bay was that it enabled Kaymer to catch an earlier flight to his native land, and the two-time Major Champion is now hopeful of bouncing back to form at Golfclub München Eichenried, the scene of his famous victory seven years ago.
He said: “It is always very special for me to play in front of my home crowd. I haven’t given them too much to cheer since my win in 2008, but hopefully this year I can put on a good show.
“There’s always more pressure playing in front of a home crowd, but I like that pressure because it makes you want to please them and make them happy. That’s not always possible, of course, but it won’t stop me trying.
“The week after a Major Championship can sometimes be a quite difficult, especially with a nine-hour time difference, so I’m sure I’ll feel a little tired but I won’t need any extra motivation to get into the right mindset this week. There will be lots of demands on my time, but I don’t mind.
"It’s important to give something back to the people who have supported me.”
Martin Kaymer
Kaymer will be joined in Munich by his compatriot Max Kieffer, currently in a rich vein of form after top ten finishes in three of his last five tournaments, including a tie for third in the Nordea Masters.
Other notable Germans in the line-up include European Tour champion Marcel Siem and teenage sensation Dominic Foos, who recently came agonisingly close to winning his maiden Challenge Tour title in the Swiss Challenge presented by Association Suisse de Golf, finishing third.
The field also contains ten former champions including World Number Seven Henrik Stenson, who took the title in 2006. Stenson, who arrives in Germany on the back of a tied 27th finish in the US Open Championship, is bidding to go one better than last year, when he lost out in a play-off to Fabrizio Zanotti.
Zanotti made history when he came through that four-man play-off, becoming the first Paraguayan to win a European Tour event. With no player having successfully defended the BMW International Open title, the 32 year old will be hoping to add another entry to the history books this week.
There have been 24 different winners in 26 editions of the BMW International Open, with only Thomas Bjorn and Paul Azinger having lifted the trophy on more than one occasion.
BMW has sponsored the tournament since the inaugural edition in 1989, making the car company the longest-serving consecutive sponsor of any current European Tour event.
Golfclub München Eichenried is staging the event for the 22nd time, having first played host in 1989. The Munich venue has witnessed an abundance of low scoring, with an average winning score of 268.
