Pinehurst (USA): Germany’s Martin Kaymer completed an overwhelming wire-to-wire US Open victory Sunday to capture his second major golf title, grinding out a one-under par 69 to win by eight strokes at Pinehurst.
Former world number one Kaymer, whose first major title came at the 2010 PGA Championship, finished 72 holes on nine-under 271, the second-lowest total in US Open history after Rory McIlroy’s 268 in 2011.
Kaymer displayed poise under pressure while calmly making long clutch putts on tricky turtle-backed greens on his way to a top prize of $1.62 million.
He followed a US Open record-low start of back-to-back 65s with a 72 to lead by five entering the last round and then maintained his edge to the end, matching McIlroy’s 2011 win margin as the fourth biggest in US Open history.
Americans Rickie Fowler and Erik Compton shared second on 279 after each fired a final-round 72, but no one came within four strokes of Kaymer at any point in the final round.
Kaymer became only the seventh player to win after leading every round, joining a select champions’ list that includes Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Walter Hagen, Ben Hogan, James Barnes and Tony Jacklin.
Sweden’s second-ranked Henrik Stenson, who would have become world number one with a victory, shared fourth on 281 with Australian Jason Day and Americans Brooks Koepka, Keegan Bradley and Dustin Johnson.
