LIV Golf: Martin Kaymer won’t wait until promotions event to complete Cleeks GC team line-up
The German team captain says he has no shortage of options but whomever he picks must have ‘the same philosophy’ as the rest of the team
Martin Kaymer has no intention of waiting until the LIV Golf promotions event next month to fill the fourth spot on his Cleeks GC team, and it does not sound as though he is short of options.
The German said he had “so many requests [from players] asking if they can be on my team” that it was just a case of making sure whoever he picks fits the captain’s ethos.
Kaymer has good reason not to want to wait. Last year he took Kalle Samooja, one of three players to come out of the first promotions event, and the Finnish golfer, who came 49th in the individual standings and was relegated, struggled to make an impact in a team that finished eighth.
The other two players to make it through – Kieran Vincent and Jinichiro Kozuma – finished 54th and 45th, respectively. Like Samooja, Vincent has been relegated, while his Iron Heads teammate Kozuma may struggle to keep his spot
This time around, only one place will be available at the tournament in Riyadh, with another going to the winner of the International Series order of merit, and Kaymer welcomed the change.
“There’s the option to wait until the promotion event, but, I mean, who knows who’s going to qualify?” he said. “I like the idea that we have a little bit more freedom in order to recruit a player. It gives a bit more freedom, a bit more flow to the whole thing.”
