Kaymer's imperious progress

EUROPEAN TOUR: THE SEISMIC shift in golf's world rankings, with Europe's grip tightening, was emphasised in emphatic manner in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship yesterday where Germany's Martin Kaymer – the reigning US PGA champion and last year's European Tour money winner – strolled to an eight-stroke winning margin over runner-up Rory McIlroy and, in the process, leapfrogged Tiger Woods to become the number two ranked player in the world.

“There was nothing I could have done to catch him,” conceded McIlroy, whose consolation was a significant jump of his own in the world rankings – from 12th to seventh – after a final round 69 for 272 left him eight shots adrift.

US Open champion Graeme McDowell finished in tied-third alongside fast-finishing South African Retief Goosen, while Gareth Maybin was the third Northern Irishman to finish inside the top-five.

Kaymer’s third win in the last four stagings of the tournament left him with a permanent reminder of his dominance in the desert, as he was presented with the trophy for keeps.

McIlroy, playing in his first tournament of the season, was philosophical about his failure to put the imperious Kaymer under any real pressure. The German’s finishing 67 ensured a record 72-hole total of 24-under-par 264.

“He was very good,” McIlroy said. “After the first few holes, I was just trying to consolidate second place and to get that job done. It was a very positive week for me, to finish second in my first tournament back out.

“Any other week, if Martin hadn’t been quite on his game, it might have been good enough. But I like this tournament, I love the event and to finish second here is a very good week.”

McIlroy, who won’t reappear on tour until the Dubai Desert Championship in three weeks. He has opted to bypass the other Gulf Swing tournaments in Bahrain and Qatar.

McIlroy – who has finished 11th-5th-3rd-2nd in Abu Dhabi over the past four years – added: “I didn’t put him under that much pressure and really when he got the gap to seven or eight and I could never do anything to get it back. He is phenomenal, to win this tournament three of the last four years, and he loves this course. As he said in his winner’s speech, he feels like it is his home course.”

Kaymer was superb, continuing the form of last year which saw him finish as Europe’s Race to Dubai champion. In winning, he moved ahead of Woods in the world rankings and, with England’s Lee Westwood at number one, it confirmed the shift in the strength of European golf.

The last time a pair of Europeans filled the top two positions in the world was when Nick Faldo and Bernhard Langer were one-two in 1993.

“He’s killing us,” said Retief Goosen of Kaymer’s form, after the South African’s best-of-the-week 64 brought him into a tie for third with McDowell.

Kaymer did not have a single bogey in his final 60 holes – and he has had only two in his last 97. He has finished first, second, first and first since missing the halfway cut on his maiden visit in 2007 – and it gave him a ninth career tournament title in his 100th outing since turning professional.

McIlroy, also emerging from a long winter break during which he suffered swine flu, had three eagles and 18 birdies in his 72 holes, but also incurred eight bogeys compared to Kaymer’s one, which came when he shanked out of a bunker into water on the 12th hole of his opening round.

Pádraig Harrington, lying second when he was disqualified over a ball-marking incident on Thursday, was reduced to a commentating role as a result. He was as impressed as anyone by Kaymer.

“He’s probably the most formidable player in the world when he is leading. He seems to intimidate the rest of the field into believing that if he gets in front he is going to win,” observed Harrington.

Any hopes McIlroy had of applying some pressure effectively ended when he bogeyed the third and fifth. Kaymer had already added two birdies by then and more to come on the 10th, 13th, 16th and 18th, each of them just icing on the cake.

“It’s just the perfect course for me,” said Kaymer. “I hit a lot of fairways and my putting was amazing. It was just one of those weeks when everything goes my way.”