German contender: so close, yet so far

DUBAI: Though Martin Kaymer has tasted his fair share of success in the Middle East, winning the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship thrice and Race to Dubai once, the Omega Dubai Desert Classic still eludes him.

He said: "Obviously I had success in Dubai when I won the Race to Dubai in 2010 and to win here again would be fantastic. I've won Abu Dhabi a few times and the golf course in Dubai I would almost say it suits me even better.

"I feel very comfortable on that golf course, and I finished second once and the last couple of years I've played good golf here. So I don't know why it hasn't happened yet, but hopefully it will," the 27-year-old added.

Feeling good

Kaymer, who failed to make the cut in Abu Dhabi and then finished tied ninth in Doha this year, said he was looking confident and expecting a better show this time. "I feel good. My coach and my trainer are here. So the preparation has never been better. So I think the fundamentals, they are made, I just need to let it happen."

The former number one felt the last two weeks have been good in boosting his confidence.

"Well, playing wise, I've played definitely better, but putting I need to work more on it. In Abu Dhabi, I really struggled. Last week was tough with the wind. It's tough to practise when it's that windy. I was practising a little bit in my hotel room because I really want to win again, and I think the only thing that was distracting me from winning was my putting. It doesn't matter if you hit the ball close to the pin if you can't make the putt. So I will definitely keep working on it.

"But I putted better in Qatar, so I feel a little bit better, but not still there where I want it to be," he added.