Open Championship favourite Martin Kaymer will be keeping the famed Claret Jug away from his Aunt Ekky after the German golfing ace wanted to stick a bunch of flowers in his gleaming crystal Players Championship trophy.
After missing the cut in last week’s BMW International Open Kaymer revealed he attended a family function at the residence of his 65-year old aunt who lives also in the Dusseldorf region.
The German arrived with both the gleaming U.S. Open trophy and his Players Championship reward from a month earlier at TPC Sawgrass.
However the normally reserved Kaymer said he could see the funny side when Aunt Ekky wanted to fill the symbol of Players Championship success with flowers.
“On the Friday of last week’s BMW International Open we had a family get together at my aunt’s place so I took the Players Championship trophy and the U.S. Open trophy with me,” said Kaymer.
Martin Kaymer says his Aunt Ekky wanted to stick flowers in his Players Championship trophy. (Photo – David Llody/www.golffile.ie)
“But when I put the Players trophy on the table and she saw it she said: ‘Oh, that’s a nice vase and I can put some flowers in it’.
“Of course, she had no idea it was the trophy I won in winning the Players Championship.
“She knew I won a tournament but when I said I received it for the Players she didn’t know what Players meant.
“But it was just so funny the fact she wanted to put flowers in the trophy.”
However Kaymer, as 2009 French Open champion, finds himself grouped for the opening two rounds of the Euro 3m event with defending Graeme McDowell and top French golfer Victor Dubuisson.
And with Germany facing France in tomorrow night’s quarter-final showdown (FRD) organizers have conveniently put the three out in the morning on day two.
With there no Northern Ireland interest McDowell joked he will act as referee over two days of the National course.
“Firstly, I am very excited to be in Versailles for the France and Germany quarter-final match as it’s going to be a great buzz,” he said.
“And secondly there will be an Irish referee for the Frenchman and the German in our group for the first two rounds.”
Double major winning Kaymer has promised to don a German team top for the match.
“I was very glad when I saw the tee times and I hope to think the organizers arranged that on purpose so we can watch the game,” he said.
“We have played against France a lot of times and while we struggled against Algeria the other day, we showed a lot of patience and the patience paid off.
“I will be wearing my shirt somewhere in Versailles and hopefully I won’t get attached (smiling)”.
