Martin Kaymer joins the growing list of stars staying in Europe

It's a growing story, and an even bigger problem, as another one of the top golfers in the world has decided to stick to Europe in 2011 instead of coming over to the states for competition.

Martin Kaymer, current PGA Champion and third-ranked player in the world, has announced he will be sticking mostly to the European Tour next season instead of focusing his game on the PGA Tour, where he has only the lone win.

The German-born player said he feels more comfortable on the European Tour, and will stay on that side of the pond for most of the year.

Kaymer is the third big-name player to do this, after Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy announced their intent to stick to the European Tour in 2011, with Ian Poulter still threatening to play most of his schedule in Europe. That means four of the top-11 players in the world would be opting out of PGA Tour play, meaning the talent pool that has always swayed the PGA Tour's way is in serious limbo and could eventually lean towards the Euros.

The PGA Tour faces a real problem here, and it seems not a lot are addressing it. While sponsors are slowly making their way back to golf, it seems a tougher sale if most of the top names are competing elsewhere.

The only positive is the buzz that will surround the four major championships. While they're always the best events of the season anyway, having all these names together for just a short list of events means the majors will be all that more exciting.

No matter, in just a few short seasons, with the uprising of talent in Europe, this could be the trend that'll be tough to buck, mostly because everyone enjoys their own bed over a hotel, and being able to play golf near home is just an advantage the PGA Tour won't be able to offer Europeans ... ever.

Related: Martin Kaymer, Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter

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Quietly, Martin Kaymer becomes best young talent since Tiger

In four weeks, Martin Kaymer will turn 26. Young for any sport not named women's tennis, Kaymer has put together a pretty respectable resume for himself since turning pro in 2005.

Kaymer has shot 59 in a professional event, won seven European Tour events, been a member of a winning Ryder Cup team, moved up to third in the world rankings, won a major championship and, on Sunday, took home the Race to Dubai, the award given to the top European Tour member.

Along with that, Kaymer became the first European to win three successive tournaments since Nick Faldo did so in 1989, and just this season, went from "solid golfer that is on a short-list to win big events" to "greatest young player since Tiger Woods."

Yep, as us golf writers spent months and months rambling on about Rory McIlroy, Ryo Ishikawa, Anthony Kim and Rickie Fowler, Kaymer was going about his business. He finished in the top-eight in the last three majors in 2010 after missing the cut at the Masters, and his win at the PGA Championship really solidified his position.

Could Kaymer get to number one in the world at some point next season? Absolutely, he has all the tools to move there, and has played well enough in the past to keep the momentum going. He led the European Tour in stroke average this year, along with finishing in the top-35 in all the major statistical categories.

So why is it so easy to forget about Kaymer? Maybe it's because a lot of these other young players have a bit more appeal. While Martin appears to be a genuinely nice guy, you can't help but root for the McIlroys and Kims of the world.

Kaymer is just another quiet, solid player that could win six or seven majors before this is all said and done. Like I've written before, at this point, for a young player to win a major, they're probably going to have to fall into it. There is so much pressure on the leaders as they head into the final day, that without the experience of a win at one of the big four, it is really tough to control your emotions.

Kaymer got lucky at the PGA Championship, but if not for his solid play to end, he wouldn't have been there to land in a playoff to begin with. His win just means he's a step up on all the other young players, and he's now a force in golf that won't be going away anytime soon.

Related: Martin Kaymer, Rory McIlroy, Anthony Kim, Ryo Ishikawa, Rickie Fowler, Nick Faldo, Tiger Woods

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Martin Kaymer makes 'Global Player of the Year' a must

Soon the PGA Tour will announce its 2010 Player of the Year. For anyone that follows golf, they know the winner will be Jim Furyk, who took down three titles including The Tour Championship and FedEx Cup. He was the best player on the PGA Tour this season.

But he wasn't the best player in golf. That title lies with Martin Kaymer, who won the Dunhill Links Championship over the weekend at St. Andrews for his third European Tour title of the year to go with his win at the PGA Championship, his first major championship at just 25.

So it brings up a question; should golf have an award for the best player in the world? Sure, most of the time that is the same as the PGA Tour winner, but it isn't always the case, especially with how golf is continuing to grow and strive in other parts of the world.

It's interesting that this debate comes just a few days after Lee Westwood, soon to be No. 1 in the world, announced that he will spend all his time next season on the European Tour. Westwood, who won once this year on the PGA Tour, was arguably the most consistent golfer this season, finishing second at both the Masters and British Open and T16 at the U.S. Open.

Kaymer, in his own regards, is molding into the best young golfer in the world. Not only did he take down Whistling Straits in a playoff against Bubba Watson, but the German finished in the top 10 at both the U.S. and British Opens.

While awards like Player of the Year aren't really the biggest deal in sports (the real hardware is the green jacket you can wear or the big trophies you claim at the three other majors), it still helps us remember history. In 20 years, people will look back at 2010 and think about the year Furyk had, forgetting that Kaymer killed it for most of the season, winning his first European event in January and his last in October.

If you are one of those that think the PGA Tour is the true test of the game, look at Kaymer's stats; six top 25s in 10 events, with a win and a third at the WGC-CA Championship.

Golf needs to think about venturing out past the United States when thinking about the top player in the game. It sure looks like this season, they'll be getting it wrong.

Related: Martin Kaymer, Bubba Watson, Lee Westwood, Jim Furyk

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Martin Kaymer is starting to realize what he's done

We tend to think of golf pros as bloodless automatons, motivated only by money and majors, in that order. But every so often, it hits these guys: They're living a dream, playing a game in some of the world's most beautiful locales.

Martin Kaymer is trailing the field at the Grand Slam of Golf right now, but unlike most tournaments, being DFL here isn't the worst thing. (It's a field of four.) Still, Kaymer -- who won his first major this year, played well at the Ryder Cup, and has a chance to take over the No. 1 ranking soon -- said he found peace out on the Port Royal Golf Course.

"I didn’t play the best golf today," he said afterward. "But I was standing on 16 and trying to enjoy the moment. For me, I’m only five years a golf professional. I just thought about, 'It’s quite stunning to be here already that early in my career.' It was one of those moments where you realize you’re a winner. It takes some time to realize. It’s not normal what I’ve done the last few years, especially this year."

True indeed. Kaymer is well on his way to a singular golf career, and taking time to be thankful is the best way to keep the momentum going. 

Related: Martin Kaymer

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