Kaymer Looks to Turn Back the Clock | Thebigtip

The Open Championship is not the sole domain of golfers from the English-speaking world. However, the excitement surrounding McIlroy, Westwood, Donald, and Jason Day, has forced many of the best European players, such as the German, Martin Kaymer, and Sergio Garcia of Castellón, Spain, into the background.

While the lack of attention paid to the Spaniard is perhaps, understandable, given that Garcia has tumbled down the rankings, and now languishes somewhere in the low fifties, the press’ avoidance of Martin Kaymer is rather more difficult to explain. The German sits in third place on the Official World Golf Rankings, above McIlroy, Mickelson, McDowell, and Steve Stricker.Those looking at the Betfair golf Open betting may be slightly surprised by this.

Kaymer’s absence from the limelight begs the question, why, when his closest rivals are being tipped to win the Claret Jug, is Kaymer largely ignored? Even the bookies are non-committal; the 26-year-old is neither a favourite, nor a true outsider, at 22-1.

While the German has indeed slipped in the Majors this year, failing to make the cut in the Masters, and tying for 39th position at the US Open, Kaymer has enjoyed some success on the European Tour, winning the Abu Dhabi in January, and finishing second in the Accenture Match Play Championship.

His performance in 2010 is perhaps, a better yardstick for his ability than the same index in 2011. Kaymer won the PGA Championship last year, making him only the second German in history to win a Major, and achieved top-ten finishes in the US Open and the Open Championship. The Open betting odds indicate he may be in with a shot of repeating that this time around.

Kaymer could yet become one of the relative underdogs to unseat Louis Oosthuizen at Royal St George’s, next week. However, the former Rookie of the Year will need to turn back the clock and return to the form that made him famous earlier in his career, if he hopes to compete with McIlroy and Westwood at the British Open.