LONDON – Martin Kaymer’s win at Abu Dhabi on Sunday has hoisted him above Tiger Woods to second place in the world rankings behind Lee Westwood. It was the first time Woods, who was toppled by Westwood on October 31, had been out of the top two slots since October 2004.
Kaymer, who won the USPGA title last August, won by a huge eight strokes in the Gulf emirate, defending his title and underlining his superb early season form. “It’s quite nice to overtake somebody who is probably the best player in the world, perhaps the best player that ever lived,” said the 26-year-old German. “To be in front of him for a little bit – we’ll see how long it takes him to overtake me again – it makes me very proud to be better in the world rankings than the best player in the world.”
Kaymer will have a shot at unseating Westwood with three more tournaments to be held in the Gulf in the next three weeks at Qatar, Bahrain and the Dubai Desert Classic. Woods, meanwhile, will start his season at Torrey Pines in California this week before heading out to Dubai for the Desert Classic.
