Martin Kaymer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Martin Kaymer
Kaymer in 2006
Personal information
Born	(1984-12-28) 28 December 1984 (age 40) Düsseldorf, West Germany
Height	1.84 m
Weight	74 kg
Nationality	Germany
Residence	Mettmann, Germany Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.
Spouse	Irene Scholz ​ (m. 2022)​
Children	1
Career
Turned professional	2005
Current tour(s)	LIV Golf
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour European Tour Challenge Tour EPD Tour
Professional wins	23
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	3
European Tour	11
Sunshine Tour	1
Challenge Tour	2
Other	8
Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 2)
The Masters Tournament	T16: 2017
U.S. Open	Won: 2014
The Open Championship	T7: 2010
PGA Championship	Won: 2010
Achievements and awards
EPD Tour Order of Merit winner	2006
Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year	2007
European Tour Race to Dubai winner	2010
European Tour Golfer of the Year	2010
European Tour Players' Player of the Year	2010

Martin Kaymer is a professional golfer from Germany. He was born on December 28, 1984. Martin is famous for winning two major golf championships. He was also ranked the number one golfer in the world for eight weeks in 2011.

His first big win was the 2010 PGA Championship. He won against Bubba Watson after a special three-hole playoff. In the same year, he also won the Harry Vardon Trophy for being the best player on the European Tour. He also won the 2011 WGC-HSBC Champions tournament.

Martin Kaymer is also remembered for a very important putt he made in 2012. It was on the 18th hole at the Medinah Country Club during the 2012 Ryder Cup. This putt helped Europe win the cup, making an amazing comeback against the United States.

In May 2014, Kaymer won The Players Championship. This is a very important event on the PGA Tour. Just one month later, he won his second major championship, the U.S. Open. He led every round and won by eight strokes!

Early Life and Start in Golf

Martin Kaymer was born in Düsseldorf, West Germany, on December 28, 1984. He became a professional golfer in 2005 when he was 20 years old. He is now a member of the European Tour.

Early Professional Success

Kaymer got his first professional win when he was still an amateur. This happened at the Central German Classic in 2005. He won by five strokes.

In 2006, Kaymer played full-time on the EPD Tour. He played in 14 tournaments and won five of them! He finished in the top 10 in almost all of his games. Kaymer won the EPD Tour's "Order of Merit" in 2006, earning a lot of money.

He once shot an amazing score of 59 in a round at the Habsburg Classic. This is a very rare and impressive score in golf.

Because he did so well on the EPD Tour, Kaymer was invited to play on the Challenge Tour. He won his first event as a professional on this tour, the Vodafone Challenge, in Germany. He won again a month later at the Open des Volcans in France. Even though he only played in eight events, he finished 4th on the "Order of Merit" list. His success on the Challenge Tour helped him get a spot on the European Tour for 2007.

Professional Career Highlights

Summary of Achievements

Martin Kaymer has won 11 tournaments on the European Tour. Four of these wins were in 2010, which helped him win the "Race to Dubai" for the first time. One of his biggest wins was the 2010 PGA Championship in the United States. This made him only the second German golfer to win a major championship. He also won the 2011 WGC-HSBC Champions. This made him one of only a few players to win both a major title and a World Golf Championship event. In 2014, he won his second major championship, the U.S. Open.

2007: European Tour Debut and Rookie Award

Kaymer started playing on the European Tour in 2007. At first, he struggled a bit, missing the cut in his first five events. But then he started to do much better, especially when playing in Europe.

He finished tied for 15th at the Madeira Island Open. The next week, he tied for 3rd at the Portuguese Open. He made seven cuts in a row during this time. Later in the season, he shot a fantastic score of 61 in the first round of the Portugal Masters. This was one of the lowest scores of the year!

Kaymer earned a lot of money in 2007 and was the highest-ranked rookie. He won the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award, becoming the first German to do so. His great play moved him into the top 100 golfers in the world. He even became the highest-ranked German golfer.

2008–2009: More Success

Kaymer at the KLM Open in 2008

In 2008, Kaymer won his first European Tour event at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. This win helped him reach 34th in the world rankings. He was the only player under 25 in the top 50! He also got to play in big tournaments like the Masters.

He won his second tournament of the year at the BMW International Open. He was the first German to win this event in 20 years. He almost won a third time but lost in a playoff. Kaymer finished 8th on the "Order of Merit" list in 2008. He also helped the European team at the 2008 Ryder Cup, even though he wasn't playing.

In 2009, Kaymer continued his success. He won his third European Tour event, the Open de France Alstom, after a playoff. The very next week, he won the Barclays Scottish Open! This made him 11th in the world rankings. He also had his best finish in a major tournament at the 2009 PGA Championship, finishing tied for sixth.

Later in 2009, Kaymer had an injury from a go-kart accident. He missed some time but still finished third in the "Race to Dubai" on the European Tour.

2010: Winning a Major Championship

In January 2010, Kaymer won the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship again. He then had strong finishes in two major tournaments: tied for eighth at the U.S. Open and tied for seventh at The Open Championship.

On August 15, 2010, Martin Kaymer won the 2010 PGA Championship in Wisconsin. This was his first major title! He beat Bubba Watson in a three-hole playoff.

Kaymer was also part of the winning European team at the 2010 Ryder Cup. He played very well in team matches. A week later, he won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. This made him the first European player since 1989 to win three tournaments in a row! He reached third in the world rankings. Kaymer also shared the "European Tour Golfer of the Year" award.

2011: Becoming World Number One

In 2011, Kaymer decided to focus on the European Tour. In January, he won his third Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship title. This win moved him to number two in the world rankings.

Soon after, Kaymer became the number one golfer in the world! He was only the second German golfer ever to reach this top spot. At the time, he was one of the youngest players to become world number one. He held the top spot for eight weeks.

Later in 2011, Kaymer won his first World Golf Championship title at the WGC-HSBC Champions event in China. He made an amazing comeback in the final round, shooting a very low score of 63 to win. This was the biggest comeback in the history of WGC events!

2012–2013: Ryder Cup Heroics

Kaymer had a tougher time in 2012 and didn't win any tournaments. However, he played a crucial role in the 2012 Ryder Cup. The European team was far behind on the final day. Kaymer won his singles match against Steve Stricker. His putt on the 18th hole made sure Europe would at least keep the cup. Soon after, Europe won the cup completely, completing a historic comeback!

2013 was also a bit up and down for Kaymer, and he didn't win any worldwide tournaments.

2014: PGA Tour Success and U.S. Open Win

Kaymer at the 2014 Players Championship.

In May 2014, Kaymer won The Players Championship in Florida. He started the tournament with an amazing score of 63, tying a course record. He made a difficult putt on the 17th hole to keep his lead and then won on the 18th. He became one of only a few golfers to win a major, a World Golf Championship, and The Players Championship. He earned $1.8 million, his biggest prize ever!

In June, Kaymer won the U.S. Open at Pinehurst. He set a U.S. Open record by shooting 65 in his first two rounds. He won by eight strokes! This made him the first player ever to win The Players Championship and the U.S. Open back-to-back. He also became the first non-British European to win the U.S. Open.

In October, Kaymer won the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, a special event for the year's major champions.

Recent Seasons

The 2015 season started with a big lead for Kaymer at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. He was ten shots ahead after five holes in the final round, but then he struggled and finished third. He said he was "in shock" by the result. Later that year, he lost in a playoff at the Open d'Italia.

In 2019, Kaymer almost won the Memorial Tournament, leading after three rounds. But he had a tough final day and finished third.

In 2020, Kaymer showed good form again on the European Tour. He was close to winning at the ISPS Handa UK Championship and the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, finishing third and second.

In 2021, he finished third at the Austrian Golf Open and second at the BMW International Open. In September, he helped the European team at the 2021 Ryder Cup as a non-playing vice-captain.

In 2022, Kaymer joined the new LIV Golf Invitational Series as a team captain.

Amateur Wins

• 2003 Austrian Amateur Open Championship
• 2004 German Amateur Closed Championship

Professional Wins (23)

PGA Tour Wins (3)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	15 Aug 2010	PGA Championship	72-68-67-70=277	−11	Playoff	Bubba Watson
2	11 May 2014	The Players Championship	63-69-72-71=275	−13	1 stroke	Jim Furyk
3	15 Jun 2014	U.S. Open	65-65-72-69=271	−9	8 strokes	Erik Compton, Rickie Fowler

European Tour Wins (11)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	20 Jan 2008	Abu Dhabi Golf Championship	66-65-68-74=273	−15	4 strokes	Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood
2	22 Jun 2008	BMW International Open	68-63-67-75=273	−15	Playoff	Anders Hansen
3	5 Jul 2009	Open de France Alstom	62-72-69-68=271	−13	Playoff	Lee Westwood
4	12 Jul 2009	Barclays Scottish Open	69-65-66-69=269	−15	2 strokes	Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño, Raphaël Jacquelin
5	24 Jan 2010	Abu Dhabi Golf Championship (2)	67-67-67-66=267	−21	1 stroke	Ian Poulter
6	15 Aug 2010	PGA Championship	72-68-67-70=277	−11	Playoff	Bubba Watson
7	12 Sep 2010	KLM Open	67-67-66-66=266	−14	4 strokes	Christian Nilsson, Fabrizio Zanotti
8	10 Oct 2010	Alfred Dunhill Links Championship	68-69-68-66=271	−17	3 strokes	Danny Willett
9	23 Jan 2011	Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship (3)	67-65-66-66=264	−24	8 strokes	Rory McIlroy
10	6 Nov 2011	WGC-HSBC Champions	69-68-68-63=268	−20	3 strokes	Freddie Jacobson
11	15 Jun 2014	U.S. Open	65-65-72-69=271	−9	8 strokes	Erik Compton, Rickie Fowler

Other Professional Wins (9)

• 2006 Vodafone Challenge (Challenge Tour)
• 2006 Open des Volcans – Challenge de France (Challenge Tour)
• 2005 Central German Classic (EPD Tour, as an amateur)
• 2006 Friedberg Classic (EPD Tour)
• 2006 Habsburg Classic (EPD Tour)
• 2006 Coburg Brose Open (EPD Tour)
• 2006 Gut Winterbrock Classic (EPD Tour)
• 2006 Hockenberg Classic (EPD Tour)
• 2007 HDI Gerling German PGA Championship (Other)
• 2012 Nedbank Golf Challenge (Sunshine Tour)
• 2014 PGA Grand Slam of Golf (Other)

Major Championships

Major Wins (2)

Year	Championship	Winning score	Margin	Runner(s)-up
2010	PGA Championship	−11 (277)	Playoff	Bubba Watson
2014	U.S. Open	−9 (271)	8 strokes	Erik Compton, Rickie Fowler

Major Tournament Results

     Win      Top 10      Did not play CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" = tied
NT = no tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

The Players Championship

Players Championship Win (1)

Year	Championship	Winning score	Margin	Runner-up
2014	The Players Championship	−13 (275)	1 stroke	Jim Furyk

Players Championship Results

     Win CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.

World Golf Championships

WGC Win (1)

Year	Championship	Winning score	Margin	Runner-up
2011	WGC-HSBC Champions	−20 (268)	3 strokes	Freddie Jacobson

WGC Tournament Results

     Win      Top 10      Did not play QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.

Team Appearances

Martin Kaymer has represented Germany and Europe in several team golf events.

As an Amateur

• European Boys' Team Championship (for Germany): 2001, 2002
• European Amateur Team Championship (for Germany): 2003, 2005
• European Youths' Team Championship (for Germany): 2004
• Eisenhower Trophy (for Germany): 2004
• St Andrews Trophy (for Continent of Europe): 2004

As a Professional

• World Cup (for Germany): 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2018
• Ryder Cup (for Europe): 2010 (winners), 2012 (winners), 2014 (winners), 2016

Images for kids

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  Kaymer in 2006

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  Kaymer at the KLM Open in 2008

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  Kaymer at the 2014 Players Championship

See also

In Spanish: Martin Kaymer para niños

• 2006 Challenge Tour graduates
• List of golfers with most European Tour wins
• List of men's major championships winning golfers
• Lowest rounds of golf