• Out of Bounds

Kaymer no match for Westwood - yet

Expect a battle for European No. 1 next year © Getty Images

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After a fierce battle with Graeme McDowell that didn't quite have the stirring finish many expected, Martin Kaymer stands at the head of the European field as the Race to Dubai winner. In this most glorious of years for the German - a Ryder Cup and major win - he once again showed a level of composure that belies his 25 years.

Kaymer thus finds himself in the curious position of being crowned as the European No. 1, but behind Ryder Cup team-mate Lee Westwood in the world rankings. It might be assumed that Kaymer is set for an imminent rise to world No. 1 - he currently resides in third spot - but Out of Bounds expects Westwood to hold on to top rank for a little while yet.

When the two players were teamed together in the early days of the Ryder Cup, Westwood's supremacy was indubitable. It was Kaymer who entered the tournament on the back of a run of tournament triumphs - while Westwood had been laid low by a persistent leg injury - but he looked overawed by the occasion in the early stages, and relied on his English team-mate to carry him over some rocky waters.

And it is this composure from Westwood, this new-found level of mental resilience, that marks him out from the rest of the field at present. Sure, he's yet to lift a major trophy, but his recent run at those tournaments - in the top three at four of the last five - leads us to believe that it's only a matter of time before he claims one of the game's most coveted prizes.

Furthermore, it's often said that the two have similar games - faultless until you start to get on and around the greens - but it's hard to find one aspect that Kaymer does better than Westwood at present. One look at the European Tour statistics for the 2010 season tells you that the elder man hits it longer from the tee, finds more of his greens and requires fewer putts.

So credit to Kaymer, who has been one of numerous success stories during what has been a glorious year for European golf - but let's not promote him above his station quite yet. Westwood is the best player in Europe and the world, and only his injury problems can prevent him maintaining that status in the next 12 months. We'll back him to finally end that major drought, too.

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