Kaymer Ten Stroke Collapse

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Two-time major winner Martin Kaymer stood on the sixth tee at the Abu Dhabi Championship holding a 10-shot lead in the final round and with records in his sights.

Then came one of the biggest turnarounds the sport has seen.

Within 90 minutes, the normally unflappable Kaymer dropped six shots in eight holes and got swallowed up by Gary Stal as the No. 357-ranked Frenchman mounted an improbable surge to win his first European Tour title Sunday.

"A little shocked, surprised," said Kaymer, his brow furrowed. "I don't know how to put it into words."

The 22-year-old Stal was in a state of shock too after shooting a 7-under 65 for a one-shot victory over top-ranked Rory McIlroy -- one of his idols. Kaymer was a stroke further back in third after a 75.

Stal had teed off at Abu Dhabi Golf Club that morning with a deficit of eight shots to Kaymer and only second place on his mind. Kaymer, a three-time winner of the event, started the final round protecting a six-shot lead, and even McIlroy had said the German was "playing in his own tournament."

Three birdies in his first four holes helped stretch the lead to 10 shots. At 23 under, Kaymer was one stroke off his record under-par score around the National Course.

"When I saw the leaderboard on the fifth hole, I thought it's not possible to win," said Stal, who had an overall 19-under 269.

Kaymer's round started to unravel at No. 6 when he made his first bogey since Thursday -- a run of 47 holes. He then had a double bogey at No. 9 after being forced to take a drop when his drive landed under a bush.

The lead Kaymer had held since the first round was wiped out for good when another drive wound up at the base of a bush on No. 13. A drop gave him a poor lie in the sandy wasteland, and after chipping out into the fairway, he scuffed his approach shot 10 yards short of the green. He two-putted for a triple bogey, and Stal was in front for the first time.

"I do miss fairways, but usually you get away with it OK. You don't make double or triple bogey," Kaymer said. "This is what happened today."

Stal, playing in the group in front of Kaymer, made six birdies from holes 4 to 11 and sank a 25-foot birdie putt on the 16th to move two shots ahead of Kaymer and McIlroy, who stormed into contention with three straight birdies around the turn. Stal's approach to the 18th was tentative and landed in the rough to the right of the green, but he got up and down in two.

Kaymer needed to eagle the final hole to force a playoff, but a drive into a fairway bunker ended his hopes and he made par.

Stal shed tears after being applauded off the 18th green. He said he was thinking about his mother, Christine, who died of cancer last year while he was playing in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

"I can't believe this," said Stal, whose previous best finish was a tie for fifth at the South African Open seven days earlier.

Kaymer said it was an "interesting day that I need to reflect on," but he tried to take the positives from an otherwise impressive first tournament of 2015.

The same can be said of McIlroy, who shot 66 after hitting every green in regulation Sunday to finish second in Abu Dhabi for the fourth time. His ballstriking was superb all week, but missing a string of putts Saturday -- when he shot 71 -- cost him.

"Just a little too late for me today," McIlroy said. "I feel like I'm hitting the ball very, very well. I didn't putt as well as I'd have liked this week, but all parts of my game feel pretty good."

Stal is likely to move into the top 100 in the rankings Monday after a victory that gives him an exemption on the European Tour until the end of 2017.

Belgium's Thomas Pieters (70) and France's Victor Dubuisson (67) tied for fourth at 16 under.

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Kaymer to Remain in Europe

Martin Kaymer insists he has no plans to follow the leads of Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood by committing himself to playing a full schedule on the PGA Tour.

Last week Westwood joined McIlroy in confirming he had decided to take up PGA Tour membership for the 2012 season.

That means both men will now divide their time between Europe and America, although they will have to play a minimum of 15 tournaments in the States.

Luke Donald - who is on the verge of winning the money-list on both sides of the Atlantic this year - has proved that it is possible to combine the two Tours successfully, but Kaymer believes the travelling involved would compromise his form.

The German, who sits just below McIlroy and Westwood at number four in the world, is adamant he will continue to focus his attention solely on the European Tour for the time being.

"I just don't know why Rory and Lee go back and forth, and that to me seems a little strange," he stated.

"One year they are on the PGA Tour and next they're not. But it's their decisions and they can make up their own minds."

Asked if he had thought about combining the two, he continued: "I did, for a little bit, but then I saw - I put both schedules next to each other from the PGA Tour and The European Tour.

"I think I have to play 12 tournaments in Europe and 15 in America to fulfil the status, and I think it will be a little bit too much, like travelling, you know, and that's why I decided to stick to the schedule that I had the last two, three years."

Martin's Magic Wins WGC-HSBC

Martin Kaymer produced an astonishing birdie blitz to win the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai with a closing nine-under 63.

The German, who seemed out of contention early in round three, birdied nine of his final 12 holes to finish three in front of long-time leader Fredrik Jacobson.

There was little sign of what Kaymer was about to produce when he could only par his first six holes on Sunday but a birdie at seven sparked an incredible run that saw him race to a winning total of 20-under.

Jacobson tried bravely to stay with him but his fate was sealed with a bogey at the 17th.

The Swede, who led by one at start of play, eventually finished second at 17-under, one clear of Graeme McDowell.

Rory McIlroy finished tied fourth with Paul Casey and Charl Schwartzel.

Kaymer had started the day five shots behind and rated a 20/1 outsider to come through the pack and land his 10th European Tour title.

Birdies at seven and eight kept his hopes alive but he then missed a short one at nine to remain at 13-under.

However, that proved only a minor blip as he reeled of four birdies in a row from the 10th.

That took him into a tie for the lead for the first time before Jacobson hit back with a 15 foot birdie putt at 12 to join him on 17-under.

Kaymer could only par the long 14th but he made it six birdies in seven holes with another at 15 after a brilliant approach shot to five feet.

Once more Jacobson responded though, his birdie at the par five 14th moving him level again at 18-under and turning the tournament into a two-horse race.

But it was the 26-year-old Kaymer who proved unstoppable.

He kept his foot to the accelerator with a birdie two at 17 and then rolled in a 15 footer for birdie at the last after being forced to lay up with his second.

That put him two clear and with Jacobson bogeying the 17th moments later it was game over.

The bogey five, after a poor wedge, left the Swede three back and a pulled drive at 18 meant there was to be no miracle albatross to tie.

"The way I played golf today was outstanding, especially my back nine," Kaymer told Sky Sports. "The way I putted on the back nine was brilliant, so I'm very happy.

"I was fortunate on a lot of holes I was not in between clubs, always hit good numbers.

"I played aggressive which was nice. I pretty much won the tournament on 18, before that I didn't know if I had won it already or not - because Freddie was still on the golf course.

"It was an OK year before, but now it's a good year." 

Earlier, Casey, rather than Kaymer, looked as if he would be the one to charge through for victory.

The Englishman made five birdies in six holes to turn in 31 and was just one behind teeing off at 13 before losing his rhythm.

McDowell overtook him for third place with birdies at 13, 15 and 16.

Masters champion Schwartzel produced the best finish of the day, ending with five straight birdies - one more than he did at Augusta - to leap into a tie for fourth.

McIlroy, who had started with two birdies, joined him there after three birdies in his final four holes. The pre-tournament favourite's chances had ended with bogeys at 11 and 14.

Lee Westwood was the biggest disappointment of the day. The world number two was just four back at start of play but went to the turn in 40 and finished down in 13th after a closing 74.