Martin Kaymer has delivered yet another rebuff of the PGA Tour declaring he’d rather win a World Golf Championship than next week’s prestigious Players Championship.
Martin Kaymer says WGCs enjoy more prestige than Players Championship.
His frank assessment of what American’s refer to as golf’s ‘Fifth Major’ came as the German prepared for this week’s Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina.
Kaymer is among 17 Major champions teeing up on the Quail Hollow course and in a $US 6.5m event being defending by new World No. 6 Rory McIlroy.
McIlroy, who turns 22 tomorrow (WED), traded his golf shoes for football boots on Monday night, when he joined a group of players and caddies tackling one of the local Charlotte sides.
Unfortunately, McIlroy’s team was on the wrong end of a 7 to 4 drubbing.
But while McIlroy will skip next week’s $US 9.5m Players, Kaymer handed the PGA Tour another red card.
When quizzed if he would rather win the Players or one of the four WGCs that includes the Bridgestone Invitational in Ohio, ‘Kool Hand Kaymer’ singled out the WGCs.
“I would rather win a World Championship event, and preferably the one at Firestone because it’s a fantastic golf course and beautiful place,” he said.
“Also to play well in the others would be nice, but I would prefer the World Golf Championship events, and to win the Bridgestone.
“It is just a very elite field. It’s a small field of great players, and you can call yourself a world champion.”
The Americans have long been smarting over Westwood’s refusal to play the Players Championship plus there was McIlroy who late last year thumbed his nose at the PGA Tour by cancelling his membership.
Last month, South African Charl Schwartzel completed a non-American clean sweep off the four Majors by winning the Masters.
There was also American whingeing two weeks ago after Westwood went back to No. 1 in the world by winning in far off Indonesia.
And to add further insult, Europe now boasts six of the top eight in the world headed by Westwood, Kaymer and Luke Donald.
