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Martin Kaymer (born 28 December 1984). He became the No. 1 ranked golfer
in the Official World Golf Rankings on 27 February 2011 after his
runner-up finish in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.
Despite his relatively short professional career that spans back to just 2005, Germany's Martin Kaymer has established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the golfing world and continues to perform well in European Tour competitions.
He is perhaps most notably famed for his stint at the top of the official world golf rankings in February 2011 after his runner-up finish against England's Lee Westwood in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.
In the run-up to the hotly-contested event, Kaymer was victorious in four of his last eight appearances on the European Tour, as well as a record nine of his first 100.
"You can see how strong European golf has become the last few years," he said after it was announced six European golfers would make up the world's top ten. "And not only through the Ryder Cup, just if you have a look at the major winners last year, Graeme McDowell, almost every week he had a chance to win the tournament."
Referred to by McDowell as a "world class player", Kaymer was born in Dusseldorf, Germany in 1984 where he enjoyed the sport from an early age. Since turning professional in 2005, the 26-year-old has triumphed in ten tournaments on the tour and was the victor of last year's Race to Dubai.
He announced his plans to keep contender Rory McIlroy off the top of the European Tour money list this year, despite the fact he was unable to take the crown himself. The talented player revealed he wanted to usurp the Northern Irishman to finish in second place and hand his 2010 trophy to the new victor.
Although he was unable to do so, Kaymer's thrilling victory in November's WGC-HSBC Champions earned him the title of the Race to Dubai European Tour golfer of the month yesterday (December 12th).
During the competition, the 26-year-old started the final day five shots behind leader Fredrik Jacobson before producing a stunning back nine score of 29 to cut through the field and take the crown by an impressive three shots.
"It started off a little slow, but then I holed a bunker shot on seven for birdie and since then, I didn't miss a lot of golf shots," he commented. "I didn't miss a lot of putts. I missed a very, very short putt on nine from two-and-a-half, three feet."
Iain Carter, BBC Radio Five Live's golf correspondent, said the manner in which the triumph was achieved made it stand out from a series of excellent performances from the likes of Donald and McIlroy.
Kaymer and Graeme McDowell shared the European Tour Golfer of the Year award.
Entering the 2011 season, Kaymer turned down a chance to become a full PGA Tour member; he had become eligible with his win in the 2010 PGA Championship. He stated he would concentrate on the European Tour for 2011, but would play several U.S. events as well.
In January 2011, Kaymer claimed his third Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship title in four years and displaced Tiger Woods as number two in the world rankings.
After his runner-up finish at the 2011 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, Kaymer overtook Lee Westwood as the number one golfer in the world, making him only the second German (after Bernhard Langer) to be the top-ranked golfer in the world. In April, he lost his number one ranking to Westwood who won the Indonesian Masters.
Career Wins
Jan 2011 - Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship
Oct 2010 - Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
Sept 2010 - KLM Open
AUG 2010 - PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Jan 2010 - Abu Dhabi Golf Championship
Jul 2009 - Barclays Scottish Open
Jul 2009 - Open de France ALSTOM
Jun 2008 - BMW Interenational
Jan 2008 - Abu Dhabi Golf International