2013 Year of the Stenson – 2014 Year of the Kaymer?

If 2013 was the Year of the Stenson, then 2014 might just be the Year of the Kaymer. These two golfing superstars have much more in common than endorsing the Hugo Boss brand: each player was once at the absolute peak of their game before enduring a lengthy slump in form – each consequently suffered a painstaking fall down the world golf rankings. Each also had issues to deal with off the golf course; but neither player gave up on the belief that they could, one day, come back from the depths of their woes.

The story of Henrik Stenson was very well documented after he became the first player to win both the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup and the European Tour’s Race to Dubai in the same season – also sealing both prestigious titles by winning the event finales. He instantly became golf’s $20 million man; a far cry from the financial difficulties he found himself in after falling victim to the fraudulent Allen Stanford Ponzi Scheme. His unexpected losses were hard to take, but this was coupled with a spate of viral pneumonia in 2011 and forced Stenson into poor physical health which accounted for a drastic slip down to a lowly #230 in the world golf rankings.

The real defining moment in Stenson’s rise back to the top was certainly his triumph at the South African Open in 2012. He led for most of the weekend, with his second round just a single stroke off the course record; but he almost threw it all away during the final round. After nine holes, he had lost the initial three stroke lead and was level at the turn – only three birdies on the back nine eventually proved the difference. How similar, then, this win in South Africa was to Martin Kaymer’s efforts at The Players Championship earlier in 2014.

Having once reached World Number One back in 2011 for a modest eight weeks, Martin Kaymer opted to change his swing and effectively restart from the very basics in an effort to strengthen his armoury of shots. He wanted to be able to draw the ball and wanted to become a more complete, well-rounded golfer so much so that he would practice until his hands literally bled. Times became tough as his form came and went, with the most notable slip coming in 2013 with only one top ten finish all year. He was 61^st in the rankings before The Players Championship and, now ranked 28^th, perhaps that win and that swinging, pressure putt on the 17^th might just be the defining moment in Martin Kaymer’s own comeback.

Nothing in golf happens overnight; “long term planning is key” as Henrik Stenson noted after his lengthy and remarkable comeback trail. He spent a lot of time in the shadows and equally so Martin Kaymer – but both of these Hugo Boss stars always kept the belief that one day they would re-emerge on the big stage. With Kaymer’s recent showings at Wells Fargo, TPC Sawgrass and the HP Byron Nelson Championship, it would be difficult to see past Kaymer winning more titles this season and complete his comeback in Stenson-like fashion – beginning with the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth this week.

Martin Kaymer and Henrik Stenson Boss clothing can be found at Golfposer.

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