Martin Kaymer said he is feeling very positive ahead of this week’s BMW International Open after seeing encouraging signs in his game following a tie for 26th during last week U.S. Open.
The 2008 champion, who was named this afternoon as one of Padraig Harrington’s Vice Captain’s for this year’s Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, said he felt his game – and attitude- were in a good position heading into the week after he saw positive signs at Torrey Pines.
“The emotions and feelings I have coming back are very positive,” said Kaymer, whose best result this season on the European Tour was a third place finish at the Austrian Open.
“Before the U.S. Open I missed a few cuts, unfortunately. But then I found a little something last week, which was nice. The first round it was a hard comeback from there. The second and third rounds were good, I was all of a sudden back in the tournament and had a chance to finish quite high – which was fantastic considering I started with a six-over par. It was a very positive week, especially with the stretch of tournaments I’m now going to play.”
For Kaymer, much of that positivity stems from a change in perspective that has come with a focus on process over results.
“It’s not much to do with the golf swing, just the attitude. I wanted to have immediate success. I’m now thinking more about… you don’t need to play well every single week that you play. It’s more about the process and that will make you play better. Because you’re not focusing so much on an individual week. The pressure of performing every single day and waiting for that five or six under, I try to put this behind me and think about ‘what do I want to do today?’, ‘I want to let loose. Play the game I know I can play.’ But I need to start where I am right now, not where I would like to be.”
It comes as he makes his return to an event where he has had some success, lifting the trophy in 2008 and recording two further top 10s, including a tie for second place at the 2018 BMW International Open. In the previous edition of the event, in 2019, Kaymer ended the week in a tie for 16th.
And while the course has experienced numerous changes since Kaymer won his title, he says that change has been for the better.
“I’ve had great success at this event over the last few years, I’ve had a couple of top ten finishes,” he said.
“It’s a golf course I enjoy. My win in 2008 was a very emotional win, winning in your own country. I played with Bernhard Langer the first two rounds, they were some of the first rounds I’ve played with him. He has been role model for German golfers and for myself for many years. To play well that week, during this two rounds playing with him was super cool. I was only 23 years old and got really excited playing with him. The emotions and feelings I have coming back are very positive.
“The golf course has changed a lot since I won here. They have lengthened a lot of holes, the surfaces of the greens were changed four or five years ago. So they are really, really good. It was the only weak side the golf course had back in the day, so that has been sorted. I just played the Pro-Am and it looked really good. It’s been a little wet from the storms over the last few days but the guys have done a good job.”
