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Kaymer Rallies To Victory In Shanghai
SHANGHAI, CHINA | The WGC-HSBC
Champions deserved a thriller of a last
day and that’s what it got Sunday at
Sheshan International Golf Club. A
host of fireworks lit the eve-
ning sky but they could not
begin to match the spark
of Martin Kaymer’s nine
birdies across the last
12 holes. The 2010
PGA champion
was home in
29 and round
in 63 to win
by three from
Fredrik Jacobson.
Graeme Mc-
Dowell finished
third at 16-under
par to Kaymer’s
20 under, with the
trio of Paul Casey,
Charl Schwartzel
and Rory McIlroy
fourth on 15 under.
For Casey, in
particular, this
was a huge effort
at a time when his
divorce from Joc-
elyn, his wife of three
Fredrik Jacobson
years, has only just come through. At the
same time, his injured right toe is still a
factor, though he is hoping against hope
that his three-week break will put things
to rights.
There was no question that Kaymer
rates the 59 he returned in the 2006
Habsberg Classic, an event on the
European Development Tour, as his
best effort yet. However, he summed
up yesterday’s 9-under tally as “my
greatest-ever putting round.”
The magic started when he holed a
bunker shot at the seventh. He let slip a
three-footer at the ninth “but that was
the last time I missed one.” His lovely
iron play meant that most of the putts
were short but there was a 30-footer
that dived into the cup at the 17th and a
10-footer at the last.
Kaymer and Luke Donald, the world
No. 1, were being mentioned in the
same breath last night. For most of this
year, Kaymer has had Donald’s brother,
Christian, on the bag. The two of them
could not be more alike: two softly
spoken individuals who never have a
cross word. In the golfing sense, they
are made for each other and every-
one is anticipating a great finish in the
forthcoming Race to Dubai if Kaymer
remains in second place to Luke’s first.
putts. I missed a very, very short putt on
nine from two-and-a-half, three feet.
“Today I felt very comfortable over
the putts. I hit a lot of good irons, my
putts were not very difficult.”
It was Kaymer’s first win since he
romped to victory in Abu Dhabi in Janu-
ary. The victory moved him into second
place in The Race to Dubai.
Jacobson, whose putter had been
red-hot on Saturday, produced four
birdies but three bogeys proved costly
– especially one at the par- 3 17th that
effectively ended his chances.
Casey birdied five holes out of
six from the third, but there were no
further gains – although he brilliantly
chipped in at the 14th to save par after
going in the water.
