Germany’s Martin Kaymer has singled out European Ryder Cup Captain Paul McGinley for special praise after his Players Championship success declaring the Irishman who will lead Europe later this year is not a ‘selfish’ captain.
Kaymer emerged from a 90-minute thunderstorm delay leading by three shots but survived a rocky final four holes to become only the fourth European to win the PGA Tour’s flagship event.
The win was Kaymer’s first since December 2012 and just a second in the States after he captured the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.
Martin Kaymer in the TPC Sawgrass locker room with his Players Championship trophy.
The Dusseldorf-born golfer has jumped 33 spots on the World Rankings to 28th while he’s leap-frogged from 29th to ninth overall among the top-nine automatic qualifiers for McGinley’s team.
McGinley was present all week at TPC Sawgrass working again for SKY Sports, and while he walked the course with Kaymer on the eve of the event, he was among the first, as he has been undertaking with every new winner, to send off a congratulatory text message to the 29-year old.
Kaymer has played in the last two victorious European sides including holing the winning putt at Medinah.
“Once you play in a Ryder Cup you always want to be there so that’s the bottom line,” said Kaymer.
“And my experience that I had two years ago added a little bit more to it. I just don’t want to miss out on that tournament.
“Paul McGinley walked with me on Wednesday and we had a nice chat, and I think he will be a brilliant captain because as a person the way he talks to you, he’s a very respectful men, and he really listens to you and he wants to help.
“He’s not a selfish player and not a selfish captain. He wants us to feel as comfortable as possible, and hopefully I can make the team.
“It was a good start this week in getting into the team for me with this win but I just need to continue playing well to get more points on the rankings and get myself qualified to make the team.”
McGinley will be delighted to now have five of that 2012 winning team among the top nine qualifiers – Sergio Garcia (2nd), Rory McIlroy (3rd), Justin Rose (7th), Luke Donald (8th) and Kaymer.
The top four are Frenchman Victor Dubuisson, Welshman Jamie Donaldson, Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson.
Graeme McDowell’s poor Players effort has seen him drop three spots to 17th on the points table.
Meantime –
McIlroy’s seventh top-10 finish in nine events this year has seen him move up one place to 10th on the World Rankings while Padraig Harrington has dropped a further three spots to equal 209th and just one place ahead of double US Open and double European Tour No. 1 Retief Goosen.
