Stand aside Westwood as Kaymer is new World No. 1

Martin Kaymer is the new World No.1 ranked golfer no matter whether he wins or loses the WGC – Accenture Match-Play championship.

The German knew he only had to reach the final in Arizona to take Lee Westwood’s place atop of the rankings.

Westwood had displaced Tiger Woods in late October after the American had been No. 1 for 281 weeks.

Westwood held the top spot for some 16 weeks.

And while Kaymer’s official status will not be confirmed until late Sunday night U.S. time, the German says the continued talk of his new stature has been somewhat distracting.

“It is a little strange when I hear those things, that I’m number one in the world on Monday, and I’m in the middle of the tournament,” he said.

“It would be fantastic if I could win the Match-Play, then it would really feel like I deserve to be the Number One.

“I’m not saying that I don’t deserve it, but it would make me feel better if I would win instead of finishing second.”

Kaymer becomes only the second German behind Bernhard Langer to be crowned World No. 1.

But after an impressive 2010 season when Kaymer won the U.S. PGA Championship and three other European Tour events, along with a blistering start to 2011 when he won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship by eight shots, there’s no denying the 26-year is the best player in the world.

“Maybe on Tuesday or Wednesday, when I see my name up there, I’ll definitely take a picture of that moment,” he said.

“But it’s been a great past year and good start to the new season for me. Winning the U.S. PGA Championship really gave me so much motivation and so much belief that I can win any tournament that I play.

“The most important thing was that I kept working on my game, and I just didn’t stop. I didn’t want to just win once and kind of like you don’t hear about me anymore. I kept playing and kept winning.”