Kaymer's count leaves the field wide open

GOLF:FEW OF those who tee it up in this 111th US Open do so truly believing they can win. At least that's what Martin Kaymer thinks.

Yesterday, the reigning US PGA champion, the former world number one who has slipped to third in those rankings, sought to put a number on estimating realistic contenders for the season’s second Major here at Congressional.

“Maybe 30 players, 30 to 40,” said Kaymer.

Of course, that number is considerably larger, the title more open than it once was now that Tiger Woods is no longer in the equation.

Woods, who once ruled the golfing world and clasped the Majors in an iron fist, misses out here as he recuperates from his latest knee and Achilles’ injuries.

Kaymer’s assertion, which means as many as three-quarters of the 156 players in the field don’t have a chance of lifting the trophy, shouldn’t be construed as bloated ego, just as a statement of fact.

As he expanded, “probably 10, 15 years ago, there were only 10 or 12 players (capable of winning), but now it’s spread out. You know, we’ve had 10 or 11 different Major winners the last (13) Majors we’ve played. It’s so open. It can be a young guy, it can be Ishikawa or Rory McIlroy. Or it can be David Toms . . . it can be anybody, 30, 40 players is my guess.”

In fact, there have been only two multiple winners of Majors in the last 13: Pádraig Harrington and Tiger Woods. Otherwise, the most prized titles in golf have been thrown around with an abandon that hasn’t been seen in the sport for a long, long time.

Charl Schwartzel’s win in the US Masters in April added another new name to a list that has included Kaymer himself, Louis Oosthuizen and Graeme McDowell inside the past year alone.

Kaymer, who failed miserably to get to grips with Augusta National, a course where he has always struggled, is more upbeat about his prospects here at Congressional. The reason? He has patience in abundance.

“I think patience is the biggest here and the most important thing you need to have at big tournaments, if it’s the US Open, the (US) PGA. All of the Majors. And obviously it will be a long week, very tiring because the golf course is so tough. It’s tough to play and mentally very difficult.”

He continued: “In normal, regular tournaments, you need to play fairly aggressive from the first day on, from Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. At the Majors, it’s important to avoid the big mistakes. It’s easy to kick yourself out of the tournament by Friday.

“So I think it is all about giving yourself a chance on Sunday to win, to put yourself in position and to be really patient with that . . . if it happens, then you might have a chance on Sunday. And if not, then you wait for the next Major.”

Unlike others who have sneaked in reconnaissance missions, Kaymer’s first sighting of the Blue Course was yesterday when he limited himself to a nine-hole introduction.

“I don’t know if it’s a disadvantage or an advantage, that’s the way I do it, the way I’ve always done it . . . that’s just my routine.”

Kaymer hasn’t won since claiming the Abu Dhabi championship in January, although he did finished runner-up to Luke Donald in the Accenture Matchplay and third in the Volvo World Matchplay recently. Part of this can be put down to some “adjustments” he has made to his swing.

“It’s a slow process, a long process,” said the German of his swing changes. “But I’m feeling better every week about my swing. I feel fantastic about my golf swing, about my ball-striking. Maybe this week? Maybe in a few weeks? But I’m very patient, not in a hurry. I’m not in a rush.”

One area in which Kaymer breaks new ground this week is in teaming up with a new caddie, Christian Donald, brother of world number one, Luke. And, as luck – or design? – would have it, Kaymer and Donald are grouped together for the first two rounds, alongside Lee Westwood.

So, the three players who have held the world number one spot at one point or another this year will be able to keep a close eye on each other.

This will be Kaymer’s first week with Donald on the bag – he caddied for his brother for seven years and spent last season with Paul Casey – with the pair adopting a low-key approach.

“We will try out a few weeks and then see how it goes, but I think it’s important that the personalities fit . . . we have three days (to prepare). We will spend a lot of time together, talking about distances, about how I approach a golf course . . . . he just has to know me.”

Three of the four Irish players competing got acquainted with the course yesterday. McDowell, the defending champion, played a round with Shane Lowry, who is making his debut in the championship, while Harrington, who played all four rounds in the St Jude Classic in Memphis, played nine holes later in the afternoon with Americans Zach Johnson and Will Wilcox.

Rory McIlroy, who spent a number of days here last week before moving on to Pine Valley over the weekend to finalise his preparations, is due to arrive today.

FRAZAR WINS ST JUDE CLASSIC First Tour win after play-off

AMERICAN Harrison Frazar beat Sweden’s Robert Karlsson on the third hole of a sudden-death play-off to win the St Jude Classic on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title. The 39-year-old Frazar, in his 355th career start, matched pars with Karlsson on the first two play-off holes and then parred the par-four 12th, which gave him victory when the Swede chipped 12 feet past the hole from greenside rough and failed to make par. “I never thought this would happen,” said Frazar who had considered quitting the tour as he battled back from hip surgery last August and had missed five successive cuts.