Kaymer shines at sun-kissed Abu Dhabi Golf Championship

Having come to the UAE capital with the sole aim of making the cut, the young star made the most of perfect golfing conditions to enter the clubhouse having carded a staggering eight birdies. A solitary bogey on hole eight after 'one of his worst chips ever' was the only blemish in what was a near-perfect round.

'I'm really, really satisfied with my round - I made a lot of putts and these greens are tough. Yesterday, I was really nervous, but today I was very relaxed. I started with a birdie and speaking to my caddie down the second, I said I wanted more,' said Kaymer.

Teeing off from the first hole at 07:35, Kaymer completed his round before nearest challenger Henrik Stenson - teeing off at 12:10 - had even pulled a club out the bag. Leaving the putting practice area en route to the first tee, Stenson must have heard the Abu Dhabi galleries roar as Kaymer held his nerve to nail a five metre putt for par on the 18th green.

'I just tried to keep it going, even my bad shots left me in good positions…I have to stay calm and maybe fight a little against myself. I've been talking to my parents who told me not to think about other people, just play. Henrik's a great player though and can easily shoot a seven or eight under par today like me. We'll have to wait and see,' said the Dusseldorf man.

Kaymer's breathtaking form in his first European PGA Tour outing of the year has thrust him into the global spotlight. His extraordinary Abu Dhabi performances follow his 2007 European PGA Tour Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award, and he was quick to point out what's going his way this weekend.

'Driving and accuracy are important here and you have to stay on the fairway. I have only played once out of the rough and I came up very short.

'I'll be sticking to my game-plan tomorrow and attacking. I have never been in this position before and I hope I don't see the scoreboard - but it is very hard not to look when your name is at the top in big letters!'