2014 winner Kaymer back in Pinehurst – and getting back into form

PINEHURST, N.C. – Martin Kaymer checked into The Carolina Hotel, the famed 123-year-old “Queen of the South” at the Pinehurst Resort, on Monday for the U.S. Open. The room he requested and received is a familiar one. 

It’s the same room he stayed in 10 years ago during his record-setting 2014 victory at Pinehurst No. 2.

“I don't know if it helps,” Kaymer said. “It cannot hurt, I guess. I'm a little bit superstitious when it comes down to that.”

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While his accommodations haven’t changed, most everything else for the 39-year-old German star seems vastly different now than 10 years ago. 

In 2014, he came to Pinehurst in excellent form, having won The Players Championship a month earlier. Although struggling with consistency in the previous years since his 2010 PGA Championship win, Kaymer remained one of golf’s top players, having supplied the clinching point for Europe to retain the Ryder Cup in 2012. More important, he felt in total control of his game.

Kaymer then went out and lapped the Pinehurst field. Shooting consecutive 65s in the first two rounds, Kaymer set the tournament scoring record for first 36 holes at 10 under. He went wire-to-wire that week, finishing at 9 under and winning by 8 strokes.

That he won his second career major was not a surprise. That he appeared to be playing a different course than the other 155 players was definitely a shock, even to him.

“It was overwhelming feeling winning a major by eight shots. I did not expect myself to do that,” Kaymer said. 

“I knew I was playing well. But then shooting 10-under par after two rounds on that golf course, I almost felt a little bit embarrassed about it because two days prior to the event I was asked what I believed the winning score would be, and I said probably 2- or 3-over par, and then you shoot 10-under, and you surprise yourself.”

The last 10 years for Kaymer has offered another surprise. Unfortunately, it’s not a pleasant one. 

That 2014 U.S. Open victory remains the last individual title he has won.

Multiple reasons have contributed to the drought. He had several tournaments in his grasp but just couldn’t find the finishing kick, including a 2015 tournament in Abu Dhabi when he lost a 10-stroke lead in the final round. 

He seemed to be finding his form early in 2020 with four consecutive top-20 finishes, but then Covid hit and shut down competitive golf. After the resumption of play later that year, he produced back-to-back top-3 finishes in Europe. A year later, he had close calls in Austria and Germany but still couldn’t get over the line.

After joining LIV Golf as the Cleeks GC captain in the inaugural 2022 season, he started with three top-20 results. But a nagging problem with his left wrist became increasingly troublesome.

Ultimately, it required surgery to repair a torn tendon that November, and he missed the first three tournaments in 2023. Even after his return, he was never right.

“If you would have told me at the press conference [after winning the U.S. Open] that I'm not going to win a tournament from 2014 until 2024, I would have thought you were crazy,” Kaymer said. “But this is the reality, and this obviously is quite difficult for me to handle, that I haven't won since then.

“This is the sport, and I guess this is what we try to do to become better, and hopefully we're going to be on top soon again.”

Recent signs are encouraging. His last three LIV Golf starts are his best stretch since those early 2022 days, and his tie for ninth last week in Houston is his best individual result since joining the league.

Meanwhile, his Cleeks team – which had rarely been competitive in the first two seasons – is finally making noise with the addition of DP World Tour Player of the Year Adrian Meronk. They tied for second last month in Singapore, the team’s best result … until Sunday in Houston, when the Cleeks won their first team title. 

For Kaymer, it gave him a chance to pop celebratory champagne bottles with teammates for the first time since his last Ryder Cup win with Europe in 2014. From a broader perspective, it’s the latest sign that things are on the upswing.

“I think my form has been as good, or as I say, the best form I've been in the last 2-1/2 years,” he said. “Obviously the injury took a little bit longer than I thought. Then once you get over that, it takes time to get used to it again, to being in contention, to having good scores, that it becomes more normal.

“It's a lot about letting go and playing free again, trusting the swing. I didn't trust my swing for the last two, three years. There was so much happening. Now I have the consistency in my swing again that I know approximately where the ball goes if I hit a poor shot. So that helps a lot coming here.”

Pinehurst No. 2 isn’t exactly a course for players to find their game. But Kaymer certainly comes into this week with good vibes. Monday night in that familiar hotel room, he watched highlights from his win 10 years ago, noting how well he putted inside 10 feet.

He realizes his game plan may be different than 10 years ago due to increased severity of the green surrounds. He used putter from off the green the majority of time in 2014 but understands that he’ll likely need to chip more often.

This week’s U.S. Open is the last time Kaymer can use the 10-year exemption that came with his 2014 victory. There are no guarantees of future starts in this event.

But he’s ready for the challenge, both mentally and physically, of what promises to be a grueling week. No one’s predicting an 8-shot victory – but then, no one expected it the last time he was here. Is he ready to win again?

“Right now, I'm on a very good path, and my mindset, I think, is very positive,” Kaymer said. “I really look forward to the challenge.

“If you would have asked me that question three, four months ago, I would have been a little scared of this place. But now I have a lot of respect for the place, and I think I can do well here.”