Martin Kaymer reached number one in the world rankings after reaching the top spot at the Match Play Championship on Saturday, rolling an 8-foot par on the 18th hole, outlasting Bubba Watson to finish the day at Dove Mountain.
The German player is the 14th player to reach the top rankings and the second youngest to reach the number one spot, following the footsteps of Tiger Woods. Woods was 21 when he reached the top ranking in June 1997. There is no break in sight for the 26-year-old who is set to face off with Luke McDonald, who recently set an Accenture Match Play Championship record by scoring 73 holes after five matches to reach the final.
His climb to the top spot ends the run of Lee Westwood, who held the number one ranking for 17 weeks. His has had seven times in the past two years, including his first major at the PGA Championship after beating Watson in the three-hole playoff. He is facing a tough opponent in Donald who has been playing strong in the QF, winning seven of the next eight holes.
Kramer has no plans of slowing down, hoping to win his next match.
'’When I hear those things, that I’m No. 1 in the world on Monday … I’m in the middle of a tournament. It would be fantastic tomorrow if I could win. Then it really feels like I deserve to be No. 1. I’m not saying that I don’t deserve it, but it would make me feel better if I would win instead of finishing second tomorrow.