Kaymer is healthy and playing at a high level at the PGA Championship
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. (AP) — Martin Kaymer proved in the opening round of the PGA Championship on Thursday that he is, indeed, still playing competitive golf. The two-time major winner — and 2010 PGA champ — fired a 3-under 67 on for a share of a seven-way tie for the lead.
Two days earlier at the event's champions dinner, Kaymer, who captains the Cleeks team in LIV Golf, was asked by a man if he still played. That question set off a humorous exchange, with Kaymer assuring the man he was in suburban Philadelphia to compete. “That’s why I’m here,” the German golfer told the questioner.
“I’m not flying from Europe to here to have a New York strip (steak) with you guys, you know, of course I’m playing. And that really motivated me. ” Kaymer recorded four birdies, including a closing 16-footer at the par-5 ninth, and a bogey as part of the afternoon starters who dodged the chilly morning conditions.
That fast start extended a run in which his game was trending upward following a 12th-place finish in a LIV event in Virginia and a 35th in South Africa. “I've been playing well the last two, three events out on LIV," the 41-year-old said. “I didn’t have good results, but I was playing well.
And I knew I find more consistency. ” Kaymer said he's been struggling health-wise since 2021 and was frustrated by the inability to practice and perform up to his standards. Now, he says he is pain free and enjoying the ride.