• Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, Round Four

Sublime Kaymer strolls to Abu Dhabi crown

Martin Kaymer shows off his trophy - which he will get to keep having won the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship three times © Getty Images

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A dominant Martin Kaymer fired a warning to world No. 1 Lee Westwood by claiming a stunning victory at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, winning the event for a third time in four years by a staggering eight-shot margin.

The German, who has now usurped Tiger Woods as the new No. 2 in the world rankings, produced another flawless display, sealing his triumph with a faultless, bogey-free 66 to finish the tournament on 24-under-par.

The 26-year-old continued his excellent form with the putter but it was his iron-play that really caught the eye. Two birdies on the front nine was just the start as four more followed down the stretch, giving him a fourth sub-70 round of a terrific week.

After overtaking Woods in the world standings, Kaymer, who has now claimed nine wins in only 100 European Tour events, said he hoped to continue improving and was enjoying being a part of a golden patch for European golf.

"Hopefully I can stay there for a while. It's definitely nice to take over, for me, the best player in the world," he said. "If you go down the world rankings, you can see how strong European golf is. Rory McIlroy will be world No. 1 one day, it's just a great battle to play against the young guys.

"I would never have expected my career to have gone this fast. The last five years have been really good."

Kaymer's nearest challenger was European Ryder Cup team-mate Rory McIlroy, the Northern Irishman carding a final-round 69 to end on 16-under-par. McIlroy, who was partnering Kaymer on day four, showed glimpses of brilliance but Kaymer's consistency wore the youngster down at times.

Graeme McDowell finished tied for third with Retief Goosen. The US Open champion cut out the errors of his previous two rounds to finish with a flourish, draining three birdies on his final six holes to demonstrate his capabilities.

It was a disappointing competition for Westwood, with the Englishman signing for a 73 to leave him well off the pace on two-over-par. Phil Mickelson battled all day but a score of 70 was never enough to trouble Europe's elite, while Matteo Manassero put together an impressive round of 69 to signal his pedigree.

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