Martin Kaymer Europe's No 1

 - now it's official

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Martin Kaymer is The European Tour's youngest Number One since Ronan Rafferty in 1989.The German, 26 in a month's time, had just one hole of the final event, the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World, to play when the year-long Race to Dubai was officially decided.

Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell, the only remaining challenger with a week to go, needed a top three finish to have any chance, but closing rounds of 69 and 68 were just too little too late.

Topping The Race to Dubai earned Kaymer a staggering bonus of € 1,092,418 from a €5,462,093 pool that rewards the leading 15 money winners.

McDowell, unable to add the finishing touch he wanted to an incredible season in which he won the US Open Championship and helped regain The Ryder Cup for Europe, said: "It's been a dream season and it just so happened that Martin had an unbelievable season as well.

"It's just been a great year for European golf and I'm just very proud to be part of that.

"My greatest moment was the putt on the 16th (at The Celtic Manor Resort). There's nothing like The Ryder Cup.

"To give Martin a run for his money this week was very good, but things didn't really go my way - it's a golf course which continues to frustrate me.

"I played unbelievably well this weekend, but could barely buy a putt."

Kaymer might well have finished Number One last year but for an August go-kart accident in which he broke three toes and was put out of the game for two months.

He eventually finished third behind Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy, but started his season with victory at the Abu Dhabi Championship and then had a spell he will never forget.

Two months after McDowell had gone to Pebble Beach and become Europe's first US Open Champion since 1970 Kaymer won the US PGA Championship after a play-off with Bubba Watson, then added the KLM Open and Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on his next two starts.

The last of those came just six days after he had made his Ryder Cup debut - a winning debut, of course - so he could actually claim four triumphs in a row.

McDowell did well to make it a contest after that, but came up short in the final week.

Not that he allowed it to take the gloss off his year - and he now believes he could become World Number One.

"I know I can get a lot better. When I see one of my friends and colleagues Lee Westwood as the world's best player, of course I have to believe I can do the same thing."

Westwood took over from Tiger Woods a month ago and held off the challenge from Kaymer this week, but McDowell also said: "I expect Tiger to be back - and I think golf needs him back playing well."

Kaymer said: "It's been a fantastic season for me. To win my first Major (the US PGA) and to be part of the winning Ryder Cup team is way above my expectations to be honest.

"And obviously when you win a Major you know that you can win any tournament in the world."