One of the shocks of this year’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship was Germany’s Martin Kaymer missing the halfway cut with rounds of 77 and 73 for a six over par tally.

Kaymer is a three-time former Abu Dhabi HSBC champion (2008, 2010 and 2011) and his scores are the highest in 20 rounds of the National Club course.

Martin Kaymer now looking to Qatar after missing the cut in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. (Photo - Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie)

The former European No. 1 and U.S. PGA winner got to one under par after nine holes on day one but stumbled under the weight of 11th hole bogey and 12th hole double bogey.

It also is only the second occasion Kaymer has missed the halfway cut in the UAE capital after sitting out the last two days in 2007.

“I struggled on the greens and didn’t have that many birdie chances today either, so it’s been a rough couple of days,” he said.

“I’ve dominated this event over the past few years so this is a bitter pill to swallow as my expectations were very high, and if you go to a tournament where you have played very well in the past you expect to be successful.

“But it just didn’t happen this week and that is okay.  I practiced hard over the winter and I am sure it will soon come together.”

Kaymer will join fellow European Tour born Major champion, Graeme McDowell in next week’s Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in Doha.