Martin Kaymer: "I Still Haven’t Given Up On The Ryder Cup"

The two-time Major winner and former World No.1 has his eyes set on a return to Team Europe after the pain of missing the 2018 Ryder Cup

Martin Kaymer: "I Still Haven’t Given Up On The Ryder Cup"
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The two-time Major winner and former World No.1 has his eyes set on a return to Team Europe after the pain of missing the 2018 Ryder Cup

Martin Kaymer: "I Still Haven’t Given Up On The Ryder Cup"

Martin Kaymer tees it up in Austria this week hoping to spark his Ryder Cup charge into gear as he seeks to make a return to Team Europe after missing out at Le Golf National in 2018.

He described missing Paris as "a real pain" and admits he still hasn't given up on making the team this year.

The former World No.1 and two-time Major winner currently sits just inside the world's top 100, having slipped down to as low as 198th in May 2019.

Kaymer, who holed the winning putt at Medinah in 2012, is, incredibly, without a win since his stunning US Open triumph at Pinehurst nearly seven years ago.

European Ryder Cup Team 2016

Martin Kaymer celebrates holing the winning putt in the 2012 Ryder Cup

The 36-year-old is hoping to make Padraig Harrington's side for Whistling Straits in September, which is certainly not unthinkable after a positive 2020 where he finished 2nd at Valderrama, T3rd at the UK Championship and T5th at the Italian Open.

He must also be very keen to make a return to the Wisconsin venue as it was where he won his maiden Major title at the 2010 PGA Championship after defeating Bubba Watson in a playoff to lift the Wanamaker Trophy.

"I like to come to Austria. It’s a nice country with good food, good golf courses. This week it’s a great golf course, it’s just the weather; nobody can influence it. It’ll be a good week and there will still be one winner on Sunday," Kaymer told the European Tour ahead of the Austrian Open.

Kaymer tees it up at a very cold Diamond Country Club this week in the Austrian Open. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

“I played 18 holes yesterday, which was an interesting one because it was almost snowing. It was very difficult to see how the golf course will play once the first day comes. Maybe the weather will improve a little bit, but I think it will be a battle.

“It’s difficult to see the ball flying with the cold. But it’s a week that I always prefer, it’s a country I like to come to, it’s close to my home country – I could drive here this week. There’s a lot of comfort for me.

“The top 50 in the world is huge, you can get into all of the Majors and the WGC events and once you can do that you can play yourself into events that I haven’t played in a couple of years, and I still haven’t given up on The Ryder Cup.

“The Ryder Cup is huge and it was a real pain not to be part of the team in France.

"I know I’m quite far away right now but I feel like I’m doing a lot of things right at the moment to have a good summer.

10 Golfers On Big Win Droughts

His last win came at the 2014 US Open

“If I could get a couple of big results, that would make a big difference for me. Knowing that I’m very close – or I feel like I’m close – but you still need the results.

"No one cares how you feel, as long as you don’t put the right results on the scorecard and that’s something I’m longing for.”

Related: Austrian Open Golf Betting Tips 2021 - Who is the brand new GM Tipster going for?

Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!


Elliott is currently playing:


Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV