"I'm totally enjoying my role as captain" - Martin Kaymer and his duties at the Cleeks

After years characterized by persistent injuries, Martin Kaymer finally sees light at the end of the tunnel again. He talks about a path that will enable him to train and play at the highest level again - a prerequisite that he has sorely lacked in recent years. "2022, 23 and 24 were very frustrating years because I hit a lot of bad shots because I just couldn't train," the 40-year-old looks back.

As a player who has always "had to hit a lot of balls" to feel confident mentally and with his swing, the break from training was a significant handicap. But that has changed: "I've had the prerequisites again since this year and that's why I said that things are going in the right direction again". This progress is also reflected in his latest results. At the last three LIV Golf tournaments, he managed one top ten and one top 20 result. He finished tied 19th at the BMW International Open on the DP World Tour.

A decisive factor in this positive development is the return to more intensive cooperation with his long-time coach Günter Kessler. Kessler has recently been accompanying the two-time major winner on Tour again and is providing the necessary consistency in training that Kaymer had been missing so much. Sometimes just "a little fine-tuning, especially on the Tuesday or Wednesday before the tournament", which Kessler can give him, is enough to make a difference.

More than just golf: Martin Kaymer's role as Cleeks captain

But Kaymer's everyday life is far more complex today than it used to be. As captain of Cleeks, his team on the LIV Golf Tour, his responsibilities have grown far beyond pure sporting performance. He sees the LIV Golf Tour as a "franchise", as a "business", and he has had to get used to the fact "that I don't just play golf".

His role as captain is demanding and requires a high level of commitment away from the golf course. The man from Düsseldorf plays a key role in putting his team together. After losing a player last year (Kalle Samooja), he had to actively search for a suitable replacement. "You have to see which player fits your team. Do you want a young player, an experienced player, what character, what personality does this guy need to have?" he says, describing the selection process. It's not just about sporting success, but also about personality and whether someone "fits into the team in terms of type". He made countless phone calls and was even contacted by players from other Tours who were interested in joining his team.

Team spirit is a top priority

A key aspect of his role is promoting team spirit. Kaymer emphasizes how difficult it is to "create a team spirit" and then "maintain it". He looks back with satisfaction on the past year, in which his team had a "very, very good team spirit". However, the sporting results were largely lacking. At least one team victory was achieved, but it was not enough for more than 8th place out of 13 teams in the annual rankings.

Kaymer is therefore already thinking ahead. He is already looking at possible alternatives for a player (Frederik Kjettrup) who is at the bottom of the rankings and could lose his place in the team. "Scouting". Although these additional tasks mean "a bit more work than before" and require "different approaches", Martin Kaymer does not see being captain as a burden: "I really enjoy the role of captain," he says, and finds it "totally exciting". After an initial familiarization phase with the start-up structure of the LIV Golf Tour, the processes have settled in and the team members now know "who has to do what". This allows him to concentrate more on his core business again: playing golf.

AI tools were used to create this article.