PGA champion Kaymer wins KLM Open

Published Sep. 12, 2010 5:23 p.m. ET

foxsports

PGA champion Martin Kaymer shot a final round 4-under 66 to win the KLM Open by four strokes on Sunday.

The German, who had led by one shot overnight, carded five birdies and only one bogey when he missed the green at the short 10th hole, to stay top of the leaderboard all day and finish with a 14-under total of 266.

Sweden's Christian Nilsson and Paraguay's Fabrizio Zanotti both shot 69s to finish joint second at 10-under.

The win was the 25-year-old Kaymer's seventh on the European Tour and his third in 2010 following victories in Abu Dhabi and last month's PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.

Kaymer now plans to take a week off before starting his preparation for his European Ryder Cup debut at Celtic Manor and his confidence could not be higher.

''I set out to be consistent in the final round,'' he said. ''I just wanted to give myself chances and avoid high numbers which is what I did. And my swing felt very nice.''

There was no mystery about the source of his current self-belief.

''Winning the US PGA, one of the biggest tournaments of the year, gives you the biggest confidence you can get,'' he said.

Kaymer meanwhile sent a message to European team captain Colin Montgomerie who now has to find him a partner for the Ryder Cup contest against the United States.

''If I could I would choose to play with Rory McIlroy,'' Kaymer said. ''We get along very well and he could be a great foursomes partner for me.''

By collecting ?300,000 ($381,000) for his victory at Hilversum, Kaymer increased his lead at the top of the European Tour's Race to Dubai money list to nearly ?500,000. Graeme McDowell, in second place, did not play over the weekend.

The only real threat to during the fourth round in Holland emerged at the 15th when his playing partner Nilsson chipped in for a birdie from off the green to cut his lead to two shots.

Kaymer, however, responded by converting a six foot birdie putt on the next green and a tap in birdie at the last completed a convincing victory.

Among the four players who shared fourth place at 9-under was the 2010 British Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen who shot a closing 5-under 65.