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Kaymer claims NGC title

Sport
Martin Kaymer clinched his first title of 2012 as he won the Nedbank Golf Challenge in rainy conditions at the Gary Player Country Club by two strokes.

JOHANNESBURG — Martin Kaymer clinched his first title of 2012 as he won the Nedbank Golf Challenge in rainy conditions at the Gary Player Country Club by two strokes from local hero Charl Schwartzel on Sunday.

Report by Supersport

The German started the day at five-under par for the tournament and enjoyed a slender one-stroke lead when he teed off. However, a serious bottleneck at the top meant that he would face stiff competition with numerous players making early moves at the beginning of the final round.

Kaymer looked to have made the ideal start as he eagled the par-five second, but cancelled it out immediately after with an ugly double-bogey at the third. The chasing pack seized the opportunity and, at one stage, he had Schwartzel, Bill Haas and Louis Oosthuizen for company at five-under.

But as the rain teemed down, the 27-year-old Kaymer came good as he put together three birdies in a row around the turn. He also had a few fortuitous breaks on the back nine as some wayward tee shots went unpunished, most notably on the 14th where he scrambled to make a pivotal birdie.

“The eagle at the second hole was a bonus — two great shots and a nice putt. The third obviously wasn’t so good as I hit a bad tee shot and got into trouble.”

“But for me, the biggest luck today was definitely on 14 with my tee shot, and then making birdie. I could very easily have made a six or a seven, so that was very lucky that I found that ball in the perfect position and could chip it down the fairway and make four from there,” he said.

And, although Schwartzel pushed him all the way, the German showed tremendous tenacity as some crucial recovery shots and clutch putts on a difficult back nine were enough to post a final round of 69, which got him over the line by two shots.

The win firmly underlines Kaymer’s return to form after a difficult 2012. Since his heroics in the Ryder Cup, the former PGA champion has been knocking on the door and he’s finally broken the victory drought to claim a lucrative winner’s cheque of $1 250 000.

“I’m just very happy to finally win this year. That was the important thing for me, because I’ve practised very hard and played very well the last few weeks and months, but it just hasn’t happened for me on the golf course. I said to my caddie that we have to win one tournament every year and this was our last chance. Fortunately, we could bring it home,” a delighted Kaymer said.