At the US Open Martin Kaymer got the better of Pinehurst No 2 with an overpowering display of might, precision and putting, Martin Kaymer who held a five-shot lead into the final round didn’t let anyone get close to him.
He eventually completed the tournament with a one under-par 69 to finish at nine-under 271, winning by 8 shots.
With opening rounds of 65-65, Kaymer also set the record for the lowest score shot in the tournament’s history through the opening 36 holes.
Rickie Fowler and two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton each shot 72 to finish in a tie for second and joined Kaymer as the only players to finish under — par.
Kaymer is only the second German to win a major alongside yesteryear great Bernard Langer.
A month ago Kaymer (29) won The Players Championship on Mother’s Day and talked glowingly of what his mother, Rina, who passed away in 2008, meant to him.
On Sunday which happened to be Father’s Day, he had a chance to pay tribute to his father, Horst, who was was at Pinehurst for the whole tournament.
A few years ago not much was working for Kaymer after winning the 2010 PGA Championship and reaching No 1 in 2011, Kaymer set forth on a downward spiral when he tried make some significant swing changes.
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When he failed to realise results, he lost confidence.
However, his game returned when he helped clinch victory for Europe in the 2012 Ryder Cup and now has two wins in 2014.
Another interesting story of determination and perseverance is that of Erik Compton who tied for second place. At age 34 and with no PGA Tour victories to his name, Compton had arrived at Pinehurst ranked 187 in the world and just trying to make the cut.
When he was nine, Compton was diagnosed with viral cardiomyopathy, a condition where the heart muscle is inflamed and unable to pump as hard as it should.
This condition has resulted in him undergoing two successful heart transplants, the first being in 1992 when Compton was 12, and the second in 2008.
During the Masters Tournament at Augusta, Georgia, US, in April 2009, Compton received the Ben Hogan Award, which is given annually to a golfer who has stayed active in golf despite a physical handicap or serious illness.
At one stage Compton had given away his golf clubs thinking he would not be able to play the sport again, but he has an extraordinary habit of defying the odds.
Two years on emerging from the operating table he qualified for the US Open.
He may have missed the cut then, but simply making the field was an astonishing accomplishment.
This proved to be the launch pad to his career on the PGA Tour.
At this year’s US Open qualifying tournament in Columbus, Ohio, Compton found himself in a five-man play-off for three places.
He prevailed at the second extra hole to book a place at the tournament. Aside from a cheque for $789 329 for finishing second Compton earned a place at next year’s Masters tournament at Augusta.
The second-place finish also helped him jump to number 43 in the worl rankings.
