Second win for Kaymer at Abu Dhabi Golf Championship

Abu Dhabi. In a thrilling climax, Germany’s Martin Kaymer held his nerve to birdie the final hole and edge out Ian Poulter and Rory McIlroy. Kaymer shot a final round 66 to top the leaderboard on 21 under par, one shot clear of Poulter, with McIlroy a further shot back.

The German enjoyed his first win on the European Tour at the Abu Dhabi event two years ago and finished runner-up to Paul Casey last year.

It all came down to the very last hole, with Kaymer and Poulter heading to the final tee level on 20 under par, with McIlroy one shot behind.

McIlroy was aggressive off the tee but his ball found the rough on the right. Kaymer, playing second, found the centre of the fairway. Poulter meanwhile pushed his drive into the left rough. With neither Poulter nor McIlroy finding the fairway, both men were forced to lay up.

Kaymer took a three-wood for his second shot, hitting a slight fade to reach the green and leaving himself a putt inside 18 feet for an eagle. Poulter’s third shot finished back left of the green whilst McIlroy’s third landed short of the flag. This left both British players with birdie chances but handed the advantage firmly to the 25 year old German.

Kaymer rolled his eagle putt to within two feet. McIlroy left his first putt short, before putting out to finish on 19 under par, thereby securing third place. Poulter could also only manage a par, missing his 15-foot birdie putt to the left. Kaymer then held his nerve, holing his short birdie putt to win the championship.

It capped a fantastic tournament for the young German. After three successive rounds of 67, he shot six birdies in a flawless final round of 66 to take victory with a final score of 21 under par. It was his second triumph in Abu Dhabi, his fifth victory on the European Tour, and earned him a first prize of 250,000 euros. It also cemented Kaymer’s place among the game’s elite, moving him up to a career-high sixth place in the world rankings.

(Source: www.golf.de)