Martin Kaymer

With his eight-shot victory at Pinehurst No. 2 in the 2014 U.S. Open, Kaymer joined Tiger Woods as the only player to win a U.S. Open, PGA Championship, Players Championship, and a WGC event before their 30th birthday. Kaymer was the sole leader every day.
After a breakthrough 2010 season, Kaymer reinforced his standing as one of the best players in the game with another successful season. Won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship for the third time in four years, then reached the final of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. Lost to Luke Donald, but captured the No. 1 ranking in the Official World Golf Ranking, a position he held for six weeks. By the end of the 2011 season, he gained his first WGC title with a stunning, final-round 63 to capture the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai.
Was European No. 1 in 2010 after winning four times, including his first major at the PGA Championship, and earned nearly Euro$4.5 million in prize money over the season, beating the record Lee Westwood set the previous year. Only the second German after Bernhard Langer to be European No. 1.
Played on the Ryder Cup Team in 2010, '12, and '14.
In 2006, finished fourth in the 2006 Challenge Tour Rankings after playing just eight events. Won two of the eight events, including his professional debut. Was named Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year in 2007 and then won the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship in his first appearance of the 2008 season. Added a win in his homeland at the BMW International Open and continued in 2009 with back-to-back wins at the Open de France Alstom and Barclays Scottish Open. His season was halted for two months by a broken foot sustained in a go-kart accident. Upon his return, captured third place in the Race to Dubai. Once carded a 59 on the Satellite EPD Tour.
2011 Notes: Finished second at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in his first PGA Tour start of the year. Ended the year with a victory at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai on the strength of a final-round 63, the lowest score by a winner in a WGC stroke-play event.
2012 Notes: Played 26 events around the world, and won the Nedbank Golf Challenge. On the European Tour, fell back to 30th in the Race to Dubai. Best finish was T-3rd at the South African Open. Was one of Europe's heroes at the Ryder Cup, holing a six-foot putt at the last hole to defeat Steve Stricker and secure the point needed to complete a miraculous comeback and retain the Ryder Cup.
2013 Notes: Played 29 events in 11 different countries, with eight top-10 finishes, the best a T-4th at the BMW International. On the PGA Tour, best finish was T-5th at the Byron Nelson. Finished 84th on the FedExCup list and 94th on the money list. Finished 24th on the Race to Dubai money list.
2014 Notes: Shot a 62 in the third round of the WGC-HSBC Championship and finished T-8th. Later in the season, opened The Players Championship with a 63, then shot 69-72-71 for a one-shot win and became the fourth European (Sandy Lyle in 1987, Sergio Garcia in 2008, and Henrik Stenson in 2009) to win the tournament. Joined Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Adam Scott as one of four players to win a major, a WGC event, and The Players Championship. A month after his Players win, Kaymer dominated at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, opening with back-to-back rounds of 65. His 130 total marked the lowest 36-hole score at the U.S. Open and equaled the lowest in a major championship. Shot a two-over-par 72 in the third round, followed by a 69 for a nine-under-par, eight-shot win. His 271 total was the second-lowest score in U.S. Open history. Became the 18th player to win the PGA Championship and U.S. Open in a career. Made it to the Tour Championship for the first time in his career, and with a T-23rd finish at East Lake, finished 16th in the FedExCup standings and 10th on the money list. Played in 15 events on the European Tour and finished 15th in the Race to Dubai. Went 1-1-2 in his four matches at the Ryder Cup to contribute two points to the European team's five-point victory over the U.S.
2015 Notes: Was poised to win the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship for a third time when he took a six-shot lead into the final round. Opened with scores of 64-67-65 and seemed to be in cruise control, with birdies on three of his first four holes Sunday. Bogeyed the sixth hole, then made double bogey on the ninth to turn in even par. Meanwhile, Gary Stahl picked up four shots with a front-nine 32. Kaymer made eight pars and a triple bogey on his inward nine for a three-over 75 that dropped him into solo 3rd, two shots behind Stahl's winning score. Two weeks later, finished T-4th at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. After a tough stretch of 11 events in which he did not place in the top-15, finished fourth at the Alstom Open de France, then T-12th at the British Open and PGA Championship. Ended the year 139th in the FedExCup standings and 114th on the money list. On the European Tour, he finished second at the Italian Open, losing a playoff to Rikard Karlberg. It was his best finish since winning the 2014 U.S. Open. Finished T-10th at the DP World Tour Championship and placed 22nd in the Race to Dubai.
2016 Notes: After struggling the first part of the year, he finished T-6th at the Spanish Open. Also had a T-5th at the Irish Open and T-7th at the BMW PGA Championship. Finished T-5th at the French Open and T-7th at the PGA Championship. Represented Germany at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, finishing T-15th in the 60-man field. Was selected by Darren Clarke as a captain's pick for the European Ryder Cup team. Making his fourth start at the Ryder Cup, went 1-3 in his four matches in the European team's 17-11 loss to the United States at Hazeltine. Defeated Matt Kuchar, 1-up, in their Sunday singles match. During the fall events on the European Tour were T-6th at the Made in Denmark, and 6th at the Porsche European Open and Alfred Dunhill Links. In 22 European Tour events, finished 17th in the Race to Dubai.
2017 Notes: Finished T-4th at the Abu Dhabi Championship and Honda Classic. Suffered a shoulder injury at the end of the summer and did not play for five months. Finished the year fifth at the Nedbank Golf Challenge, and finished 33rd in the Race to Dubai.
2018 Notes: Took membership back into the PGA Tour, played in 11 events making 4 cuts. Placed 213th in the FedExCup standings. On the European Tour, played 20 events, making 14 cuts with three top-10 finishes. Was 54th in the Race to Dubai. His best finish of the year: T-2nd at the BMW International, one shot behind winner Matt Wallace. Finished T-5th at the Turkish Airlines Open, and T-8th at the Italian Open.
2019 Notes: Played in 17 European Tour events making 13 cuts with three top-ten finishes. Was 68th in the Race to Dubai. Played in 14 PGA Tour events making ten cuts with one top-ten finish. Was 150th in the FedExCup standings. Had a 2 shot lead going into the final round of the Memorial, shot 72 while Patrick Cantlay won with a final round 64. Kaymer finished 3rd, 4 shots back of Cantlay. On the European Tour Kaymer was T-8th at the Betfred British Masters. Was T-9th at the Dubai Duty-Free Irish Open and T-5th at the French Open, four back of winner Nicolas Colsaerts.
2020 Notes: Played in 14 European Tour events making ten cuts with six top-ten finishes. Was 24th in the Race to Dubai, earning euro634,161. Was T-8th at the Au Dhabi Championship, and T-10th at the Oman Open. He was T-3rd at the Handa UK Championship, a shot back of the Hojgaard/Walters playoff. The next week was 2nd at the Andalucia Masters a shot back of winner John Catlin. Was T-10th at the BMW PGA Championship and T-5th at the Italian Open three shots back of winner Ross McGowan. Finished his season with a T-14th finish at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.
2021 Notes: Played in 20 European Tour events making 13 cuts with two top-ten finishes. Was co-leading the Austrian Open going into the final round, shot 70, and was three back of the Catlin/Kieffer playoff. Shot a final-round 64 at the BMW International Open to finish 2nd, two shots back of winner Viktor Hovland. Was T-32nd in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai. Was 49th in the Race to Dubai he won euro545,432. On the PGA Tour made five starts and only made one cut, T-26th at the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.
2022 Notes: In November of 2021 Kaymer told a German magazine he was going to step away from golf for three months for the birth of his first child with partner Irene Scholz. Their son Sam was born in Dusseldorf, Germany in January. Kaymer returned to playing golf at the Honda Classic at the end of February.