Kaymer tells Rory to do himself a major favour and ignore Tiger tag
Kaymer recorded a final round of 71 to finish in a share of 39th — 19 strokes adrift of the new US Open champion at Congressional on Sunday.
The Dusseldorf-born player says it is not unreasonable to label McIlroy ‘the next Tiger Woods’ but warned of the hazards if the player himself gets sucked into the hype.
“It will all depend how Rory sees it because if he does start talking about being the next Tiger Woods, it could affect his golf,” said Kaymer.
“But if others like the media are saying it, and if he keeps talking about wanting to win as many majors as he can, then I can’t see it being any harm to Rory.
“So if he keeps enjoying what he’s doing and keeps working hard on his game, he can aspire to what Tiger’s achieved.
“I know he’s talked about looking forward to the day when he goes head-to-head with Tiger down the last few holes of a major. But that’s just Rory because he is an aggressive player and he’s not afraid of failing. That’s why, even with such a huge lead, he kept playing aggressively over the last round.
“That’s what he didn’t do over the final day of the Masters.”
Kaymer arrived back in Germany on Monday morning to prepare for this week’s BMW International Open in Munich. He admitted that McIlroy’s performance will act as an inspiration as he defends his own crown later this year.
“Seeing Rory playing that well and winning the way he did is inspirational,” said Kaymer. “I’ve won one major but the manner Rory won the US Open makes me want to become a better player — and to win more majors.
“It’s nearly been 12 months since I won the PGA and there’s pressure on to win a second before Rory does.
“The European Tour has been very competitive with Graeme McDowell winning and then Louis (Oosthuizen) and Charl (Schwartzel) and now Rory’s got his hands on a major trophy the rivalry will become a lot more friendlier!”
And with non-Americans having captured nine of the last 16 majors, Kaymer had a message for his USA-born rivals.
“Maybe the Americans need to get out of America more and become more global players.”
Meanwhile, Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa is the latest to heap praise on the Holywood star. Ishikawa finished 18 strokes behind McIlroy, who at 22 became the youngest winner of the US Open since 1923 when he completed a remarkable eight-stroke victory on Sunday with a record-breaking 16-under-par total.
“Whenever people ask who is going to be the next Tiger, I have always replied McIlroy,” Ishikawa said last night. “He is a bit different from other players. His playing style, his club speed… he can play any shot. I played with him at the Masters the year before last and I still think I want to emulate his style of play.
“He has come this far in just two years,” added Ishikawa, who finished in a tie for 30th at Congressional after a closing round 68. ” I’ve improved too but I haven’t been able to close the gap in those two years.”
Ishikawa, a major celebrity in Japan, has struggled to hit the heights this season but insisted McIlroy’s stirring victory had given him added incentive to rediscover his touch.
“He’s given me motivation to take back to Japan and knuckle down to practice,” said Ishikawa, a nine-times winner on the Japanese professional tour.
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