09 March 2024 , 03:00
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Former world No.1 Martin Kaymer looked back to his best on Friday at LIV Golf Hong Kong, as the German star carded a superb six-under 64 in the event's opening round.
Kaymer has struggled for form since joining the LIV Golf setup in 2022, but showed a glimmer of his old self at Hong Kong Golf Club. The former Ryder Cup star made seven birdies in Friday's opening round, including four on the bounce as part of an impressive run between the sixth and ninth.
Speaking post-round, Kaymer said: "This winter was the first winter for I would say the last four years that I was pain-free. It was a winter I could really work on my game again.
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"I could really practice in Spain. It was nice knowing you come to the first event, and you are prepared enough to play well. It doesn't mean that you will play well, but at least you put everything that you had the last three months you put into your practice, and I was able to do that."
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The impressive start means Kaymer sits just one shot behind leaders Abraham Ancer and Dean Burmester, as the German star chases down his first ever LIV Golf title heading into the weekend. The Cleeks GC captain has endured a stop-star career since making the Saudi switch in 2022.
As he mentioned in his post-round comments, Kaymer has been nursing an injury for some time, after he required wrist surgery following the end of his debut campaign with LIV. In 2023, the German missed the first four events of the campaign, before making a long-awaited return last April.
Unsurprisingly it took time for Kaymer to find his game after struggling for form on the back of his comeback. Last season proved to be a difficult for one for the former major champion and his Cleeks teammates, with Kaymer failing to break into the top-20 in all 10 of his events.
He will no doubt be keen to find some form heading into the rest of the week and the current campaign, especially as Kaymer is one of the few LIV stars with major exemptions. Victory at the PGA Championship in 2010 and the U.S. Open four years later means he is able to compete in both events later this year.
One man who will be hoping the German does not replicate his former glory at Valhalla and Pinehurst is his former Ryder Cup teammate Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman is without a major title in 10 years, and after featuring in season two of Netflix's Full Swing, he cast doubt over his major-winning capabilities at last year's PGA Championship.
"My technique is nowhere near as good as it used to be," he said at Southern Hills last year as the Netflix cameras captured McIlroy in the locker room.
"I almost feel like I want to do a complete reboot. It’s the only way I feel like I’m going to break through. Like, it feels so far away. I feel good enough to be f***ing top-10 in my head, but not good enough to win. Like winning f*****g majors."