Martin Kaymer arrives at this week’s Austrian Golf Open confident of clinching a result which can kick-start his 2021 campaign and help him back on the path to Ryder Cup and Major glory. The two-time Major winner drove from his home in Germany to Diamond Country Club, in Atzenbrugg near Vienna, with his eyes on the prize as he targets a route back to the kind of form which made him a World Number One and 11-time European Tour winner. Kaymer’s form has improved event-by-event this year and he enters this week following a top 20 finish in his last European Tour appearance at the Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investments Advisors. Home hope Matthias Schwab is regarded as one of the favourites this week, especially after a strong weekend in his most recent appearance at the Kenya Savannah Classic supported by Absa, where he carded 66-65 in the final two days to finish in a share of seventh place. Another player who finished in a share of seventh position in the most recent event in Kenya is Joost Luiten, a man who has enjoyed an enviable record in this event – in his seven appearances he has recorded one win, two top threes, two further top tens and two further top 20s. Player quotes: Martin Kaymer: "I like to come to Austria. It’s a nice country with good food, good golf courses. This week it’s a great golf course, it’s just the weather; nobody can influence it. It’ll be a good week and there will still be one winner on Sunday. “I played 18 holes yesterday, which was an interesting one because it was almost snowing. It was very difficult to see how the golf course will play once the first day comes. Maybe the weather will improve a little bit, but I think it will be a battle. “It’s difficult to see the ball flying with the cold. But it’s a week that I always prefer, it’s a country I like to come to, it’s close to my home country – I could drive here this week. There’s a lot of comfort for me. “The top 50 in the world is huge, you can get into all of the Majors and the WGC events and once you can do that you can play yourself into events that I haven’t played in a couple of years, and I still haven’t given up on The Ryder Cup. “The Ryder Cup is huge and it was a real pain not to be part of the team in France. I know I’m quite far away right now but I feel like I’m doing a lot of things right at the moment to have a good summer. “If I could get a couple of big results, that would make a big difference for me. Knowing that I’m very close – or I feel like I’m close – but you still need the results. No one cares how you feel, as long as you don’t put the right results on the scorecard and that’s something I’m longing for.”

Alejandro Cañizares carded a five under par 67 to move into the first round lead at the Austrian Golf Open, where former World Number One Martin Kaymer was one of four players a single shot back. Spain’s Cañizares has two European Tour titles to his name, which came eight years apart in 2006 and 2014, and the 38-year-old is aiming to bridge a seven year gap for his third victory this week at Diamond Country Club. He recorded one of only seven eagles all day at the chilly Austrian venue, after a stunning second shot into the par five fourth left him with a five foot putt which he duly converted. Four birdies and a single bogey earned him the lead heading into day two, ahead of tightly-bunched chasing pack. Leading that chasing pack on five under par were a quartet comprising two-time winner in 2020, John Catlin of the USA, Sweden’s Rikard Karlberg, Jacques Kruyswijk of South Africa and two-time Major winner Kaymer. The German Ryder Cup star made clear his intentions to collect a 12th European Tour title this week in Austria and six birdies en route to his 68 certainly helped that cause. Player quotes: Alejandro Cañizares: “I'm very pleased. It was tough to keep focus - it's so cold. It was tough to feel the hands and that's very important. “I putted very nicely, just missed a short one when I made the bogey, that was about it, but from tee to green I was very stable. Very happy with the round, the last two putts were really big, I'm really pleased with the way I finished. “I think the strength was just keeping my head on every shot because it's very easy when you miss a shot to let it go on days like this when you're struggling physically and mentally to keep warm. “It was just do my process and do every shot and I was happy the way I managed bad shots becuase I didn't let them get to me like has happened in the past. That was the key. I didn't think that I played wonderfully tee to green, it wasn't beautiful, but I hit some really good shots and I made some good putts in the end, so a solid round overall. Martin Kaymer: “The biggest battle was probably the cold, but in general the golf course plays pretty well, the conditions are nice, the greens are good. Especially when I played in the morning, I had a very nice group, we were flowing, we all played fairly decent. I didn't make many mistakes, so four under was a decent start. “I've never played the golf course, so it was very new for me when I came on Monday. I drove from Munich, it's a very convenient tournament for me to participate in. I've enjoyed the golf course - not so much on Monday when it was snowing - but Tuesday, Wednesday and today was enjoyable and so close to my country. I like to come to Austria. “It was quite similar to yesterday. Still cold and windy, but in the tournament you do hit it a little bit better, a little bit further. The adrenalin is up, your focus is up, so I was quite pleased the way I played the golf course under those conditions today.”

Alejandro Cañizares recovered brilliantly from a stumbling start to his second round at the Austrian Golf Open to maintain his lead at Diamond Country Club, where Martin Kaymer’s presence continues to loom large as the German remains one stroke back heading into the weekend. Cañizares, the two-time European Tour winner from Spain, began the day one shot clear at the top but opened his second round with a bogey at the tenth hole, his first, followed by a double bogey at the 11th to drop three shots in his opening two holes. The 38-year-old dug deep, however, and three successive birdies from the 14th hole along with four more on the way home helped him to a two under 70 and a seven under total. Two-time Major winner Kaymer signed for the same score thanks to five birdies and three bogeys to share second place with American John Catlin on six under par, while South Africa’s Justin Walters was a shot further back on five under par. Player quotes: Alejandro Cañizares: "I felt good but bogeyed the last. After the way I started - I struggled at the beginning – I then started hitting some great shots, I think the turning point was at the par three 15th hole where I made a long putt for birdie and that triggered it a little bit. "I started doing very well after that, didn’t make many putts – that was the only one really. Most of the birdies I made were two-putts on par fives or two or three footers with my second shots on par fours. I hit the ball nicely – it’s a pity I finished with a bogey on the last but overall it was a great round. "I was trying to hit every shot the best that I could because at the start it was really cold and I was feeling it more than yesterday. Like I said yesterday, the most important thing was to stay calm and focussed and accept the fact that you’re going to be freezing cold and move the best you can with every shot." Martin Kaymer: "I would rather lead the tournament, but I think it was a decent start to the golf tournament, I would say. Today I missed a few opportunities and a couple of silly mistakes unfortunately happened, so I can build on my solid play and hopefully I can avoid a couple of mistakes over the weekend. "For me, the par threes. I struggled on the par threes a little bit, especially with the tee shots on six and 14. Those two par threes really play with my mind a little bit, I don’t know what it is, so I need to figure it out over the weekend. "Not so much on the range, but I need to find a way to actually hit a shot on those holes, not just a straight six iron or a straight four iron, I need to play something; maybe a low one, a high one, a fade or something, because the pin is in the middle of the green, there’s no danger left or right, it’s almost too easy. It’s too wide and you need to be very specific so it’s just something I need to focus on. "I think it’s very necessary that you act spontaneously on the conditions. The wind obviously affects your golf game a lot.

John Catlin claimed his third victory in just 13 events at the Austrian Golf Open after the American triumphed in a dramatic five-hole play-off with Maximilian Kieffer, Catlin began the day two shots back from the lead and played in the penultimate group behind Kieffer and third round leaders Martin Kaymer and Alejandro Cañizares. The 30-year-old was at one point in the day four strokes behind Kieffer, who got off to a roaring start. A typically determined display from the Californian, however, yielded seven birdies for an impressive closing 65 and forced extra holes with Kieffer, who signed for a 66. In a roller coaster play-off, Kieffer looked to have earned a shock victory when he sank a monster putt for birdie on the third extra hole, but Catlin was equal to the task and knocked in a tester for his two. It was a disappointing end for Kieffer, who found the water three times at the fifth attempt down the par three 18th at Diamond Country Club, handing victory to a delighted Catlin - who moved to 24th in the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex. Player quotes: John Catlin: "It’s always nice to win. It’s tough to watch that happen – we're out here giving it our all, he’s a very, very accomplished player. To have come out on top is something I’ll always cherish. "There was about a three-foot wide gap and I landed it right in the middle of it. As soon as it landed I knew that had a chance to be pretty good – you never know how it’s going to bounce through that rough. For it to come out like that and to make that par is probably one in maybe a thousand, it’s nice to get it done. "I want to take this chance to thank my coach, Noah Montgomery. It’s been a really long road – 2015, 16, were tough seasons for me. He stuck by me, kept believing in me and putting in the hours. Winning is never easy, it doesn’t matter what Tour you’re playing on. To have got this one is very special. "I’d love to crack that Top 50 in the world and play in a Major Championship, I’ve never actually played in one. I think this gives me a good chance to play in the PGA Championship, that was my goal. Hopefully it’s good enough. To get in those events and have a chance to win a Major, that’s been my goal since I was a kid. It would be nice to have that opportunity." Maximilian Kieffer: “I’m disappointed, that pretty much sums it up. I think my caddie and I were just trying to stay loose. It was good playing with Martin because I know him pretty well, so the atmosphere in our group was nice and funny so that kept the nerves away and heklped me stay present. “I saw on the leaderboards, I had a great start, played very well and then in the middle of the round there are some tough holes but maybe I didn’t play them aggressively enough – a little bit like yesterday – and the last few holes I thought I would be a little bit more aggressive and makle as many birdies as I can. It was a fun day for sure.