Kaymer: Abu Dhabi a big ‘life lesson’

Martin Kaymer has vowed to come back stronger after blowing a 10-shot lead on the final day of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
The German’s stunning loss 11 days ago is understandably still fresh in his mind – after all, it’s not every day you surrender a 10-shot cushion over the final 13 holes of a high-profile tournament – but after doing some serious soul searching he’s determined to use those memories as a motivating factor to do better going forward.
“It wasn’t just a big golf lesson it was a huge life lesson,” Kaymer said ahead of this week’s Dubai Desert Classic, where he will tee it up alongside Rory McIlroy and Henrik Stenson.
“It was like what happened to Rory a few years ago at the Masters. When he lost that back nine lead (in 2011) it was shocking and sad to see and it’s tough to handle those situations.
“But if you deal with it honestly and gain more motivation then you can do what he did and come out a few months later and win the US Open by 20 shots or whatever.
“I’ve been having some hard conversations with my dad and my brother in private and I do believe what happened will help me improve in the future. So I am very glad I went through it. If I had won in Abu Dhabi again (for a fourth time) everybody would have joked ‘Oh yeah, why don’t they rename the place the Martin Kaymer golf course and all those sort of things’.
“And yeah it would have been good to gain a few more world ranking points and another beautiful trophy in my house. But what happened instead – that will be better for me.”
Despite the disappointment, Kaymer doesn’t seem to have lost his sense of humour.
“I think Abu Dhabi just shows you that German engineering doesn’t always work. It does usually, but one in a while it comes unstuck,” he said with a smile.
One lesson he has learned is to avoid ever getting over-confident on a golf course.
“I think when you start off a final round with a big lead and then you begin birdie, birdie, par, birdie, you almost feel like not much can go wrong,” he said. “And in golf, that little bit of too much confidence can hurt and it’s a very fine line.
“How I felt that day is not the person I am and not the person I want to be. It did not feel natural to me and it becomes very difficult because it is an unknown situation, and one you don’t want to be in.
“Afterwards I asked myself how did I get into it and why did I get into it. And all those answers I got, they will prove important to me going forward.”
Latest
-
News
Rory McIlroy leads the way in Abu Dhabi as he eyes overdue victory
McIlroy will have to keep his Ryder Cup team-mates at bay if he is to claim the trophy.
-
News
Tyrrell Hatton dominant as Rory McIlroy falters in Abu Dhabi
Hatton led by five shots at the end of a second weather-affected day.
-
News
Phil Mickelson on Tiger’s latest surgery: ‘I feel bad because golf should be a game of a lifetime’
Mickelson admitted he was saddened by the news of Woods’ latest back surgery.
-
News
Rory McIlroy makes brilliant start to fog-affected Abu Dhabi Championship
McIlroy has a remarkable record in Abu Dhabi with four second-place finishes.
-
News
Rory McIlroy shines in Abu Dhabi to take first-round lead following flawless 64
McIlroy has a remarkable record in Abu Dhabi with four second-place finishes, three thirds and a fifth in his last nine starts, but has never won.
-
News
Justin Thomas on end of Ralph Lauren deal: ‘They moved on so that’s what I’m doing as well’
Justin Thomas said he was upset by...
-
News
My last win feels a long time ago – Rory McIlroy aiming to start year on a high
McIlroy has not tasted victory since November 2019.
-
News
Rory McIlroy insists Justin Thomas will ‘try to be better’ after homophobic slur
World number three Thomas was heard using a derogatory word towards himself after missing a par putt in Hawaii.
-
News
Rory McIlroy sad to miss Conor McGregor fight
Rory McIlroy has been to UFC star Conor Mcgregor’s last three fights but will miss Saturday’s clash due to European Tour commitments.
-
News
Rory McIlroy backs Tiger Woods to make quick recovery from latest back surgery
McIlroy expects the American to be fit for the Masters in April.