The German holed a memorable seven-foot putt on the 18th
green to ensure the visitors retained the trophy four years ago,
capping the remarkable 'Miracle at Medinah' comeback victory
over the United States in Illinois.
Danny Willett, Chris Wood, Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Andy Sullivan,
Matt Fitzpatrick and Thomas Pieters are playing in the biennial
team event for the first time this week and Kaymer said they
should all avoid trying too hard to impress.
"I know it's very difficult but I hope the rookies somehow try
to find a way to calm themselves down and enjoy what they do,"
the former world number one told a news conference at Hazeltine
National on Thursday.
"For me, it was very important yesterday when I did a little
putting competition with the Junior Ryder Cup team. Playing with
the juniors brings a little more fun into it, it's all way too
serious sometimes.
"I really hope the rookies can enjoy the amazing life experience
they are going to have on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, don't try
anything special, just play and enjoy what you love."
The 31-year-old Kaymer said his own Ryder Cup debut at Celtic
Manor in Wales in 2010 "was a bit overwhelming".
"I was very glad I played with a very experienced player," he
added. "Lee Westwood helped me a lot, especially on the Friday
morning.
"The entire week I thought I needed to make something special
happen because the only thing you see when you watch highlights
of the Ryder Cup are great shots, bunker shots holed from the
fairway, people holing out.
"You think you need to do that too and then obviously that
changes when you play more matches."
Kaymer says he receives more worldwide attention for his 2012
Medinah exploits than he does for his 2014 U.S. Open win and
2010 PGA Championship triumph.
"There's nothing bigger than the Ryder Cup," said the German.
"It's like in soccer where for some people it's almost like a
religion.
"I was very glad I got that gift in 2012, to have the
opportunity to make something amazing happen in my career that
will never happen again."
(Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
|
|