Monday Backspin: Say hello to the new face of German golf

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KOHLER, Wis. -- When people talk about the best young players in the game, names such as Rory McIlroy, Ryo Ishikawa, Hunter Mahan, Dustin Johnson and Anthony Kim are generally tossed around.

Before Sunday's final round of the PGA Championship, though, few people -- at least on this side of the Atlantic -- had Martin Kaymer on their radar screens.

That, we were soon to find out, was a mistake. The 25-year-old German already had five European Tour victories on his resume when he came to Whistling Straits, not to mention top-10 finishes in the last two majors.

And Kaymer will certainly not be overlooked any more after beating Bubba Watson in a three-hole aggregate playoff to win his first major. Not that it really mattered to the unassuming young pro in the first place.

"I think it's great for the game of golf and great for Europeans and Americans," Kaymer said. "I just think if you have a look at the Ryder Cup this year, how many young players are playing against each other; I just really look forward to playing against Rory, Nick Watney, Dustin Johnson, all of those guys.

Champion's Replay

Want to hear what Martin Kaymer said after winning The PGA Championship? Click here The PGA Championship: Final Leaderboard More coverage: • FedExCup standings • Wild, weird week • Complete tourney coverage

"It's just fantastic, and I think we will have a lot of young major winners in the next five, six years."

Kaymer's role model "was and still is," he says, Ernie Els. But he grew up hearing about two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer, too. The accomplishments of the German veteran, who is old enough to be Kamyer's father, were not lost on him.

In fact, he's stayed pretty current on the World Golf Hall of Famer.

"Bernhard Langer, obviously he inspired me when I was a kid, and I hope that I can inspire teenagers, as well," Kaymer said. "And if you follow the Champions Tour a little bit, you can see, Bernhard, he just won two majors in a row."

Kaymer paused briefly to ponder that accomplishement before he continued, brightening at the thought.

"Well, actually, I have to win the Masters next year then to accomplish that," he said.

Kaymer will certainly be on the list of contenders this time.

Stock up

Dustin Johnson: He played in the final group of a major for the second time this summer and this time managed to contend until the final hole. That two-shot penalty notwithstanding, Johnson has shown he has major-league game and mental toughness to last. He'll be an asset to the U.S. Ryder Cup team. FedExCup rank: 11 (11 last week) Zach Johnson: The PGA was Johnson's best result since he won the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in June, and it couldn't have come at a better time. Johnson finished one shot out of the playoff between Martin Kaymer and Bubba Watson, which certainly couldn't have been lost on U.S Ryder Cup Captain Corey Pavin. FedExCup rank: 16 (24 last week) Martin Kaymer: How could you not pick the man who won his first major championship on a grueling day at Whistling Straits and in a playoff, no less? A five-time winner in Europe, the 25-year-old wants to play more in the United States next year, and judging by his performance at the PGA, the rest of the TOUR had best be ready. FedExCup rank: N/A/ (N/A/ last week)

Stock down

Matt Kuchar: It's hard to justify picking a guy who has had a chance to win each of the last two events and is spitting out top-10s like they were going out of style. But the former Georgia Tech All-American has been one round away -- a 73 on Sunday in Akron and another on Saturday at the PGA when he started the round in the lead. FedExCup rank: 9 (9 last week) Jim Furyk: Just when it looked like the veteran could win his third PGA TOUR event of the season and establish himself as the frontrunner for Player of the Year, Furyk shot a 77 in the final round that included a disappointing 41 on the back nine. Now it's off to the Playoffs to see if he can set himself apart in those four events. FedExCup rank: 3 (3 last week) Padraig Harrington: The Irishman was feeling pretty good about his game coming into the PGA after that tie for ninth at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, his second top-10 in his last three starts. But Harrington never go untracked at Whistling Straits, and now European Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie has a very tough decision. FedExCup rank: 53 (53 last week)

THE BACK NINE: 9 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. Is Anthony Kim missing in action? The list of the eight qualifiers for the U.S. Ryder Cup team does not include the 25-year-old, who picked up his third PGA TOUR win earlier this year. He opted for May surgery to reattach a ligament at the base of his thumb, passing up two majors in hopes of being ready for the Ryder Cup. He was ranked second in the standings when he had the operation but tumbled to ninth after missing the cut at the PGA last week. The next three weeks will be crucial for Kim as he tries to convince U.S. Captain Corey Pavin he's playing well enough to help the team and merit a pick. He's played six rounds since returning to competition and only broken par once. He's in the field at this week's Wyndham Championship. Stay tuned.

2. Should we call the U.S. Ryder Cup team "The Young and the Restless? Corey Pavin is assured of having four men on his team -- Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Jeff Overton and Matt Kuchar -- who have never played in an international team competition as a pro. Of course, two of the four have won this year and Kuchar and Overton have been piling up top-10s this year like they were going out of style. Could this skew Pavin's Captain's Picks toward veteran players? Several are waiting in the wings -- Tiger Woods, Zach Johnson and Stewart Cink, to name a few. It will be interesting to see what he decides when he announces his picks on Sept. 14.

3. Are you wondering when Tiger Woods will play again? You're not alone. He certainly didn't distinguish himself again at the PGA Championship, hitting just 21 fairways and closing with a 73. But he was much more upbeat than he was the previous week at Firestone, where he finished next to last. He needs to regain that competitive edge before the Ryder Cup -- assuming, as expected, Pavin picks him -- so The Barclays is a good place to start. How long Woods lasts in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup is anyone's guess, though. The two-time FedExCup champion was 108th at the end of the PGA and only the top 100 advance to the Deutsche Bank Championship.

4. Phil Mickelson didn't overtake Tiger Woods as world No. 1 -- again -- at Whistling Straits. But he certainly appeared dialed in as he shot the low round of 67 on a windswept day when just four players broke 70. A pair of 73s kept him from challenging but Mickelson is energized after finding a treatment for his psoriatic arthritis and is looking forward to the Playoffs. He moved up one spot to fourth in the FedExCup standings, too.

5. It's safe to say Corey Pavin won't be giving Jim Gray any scoops during the Ryder Cup -- even though the GOLF CHANNEL announcer thought he had one when he said the captain told him he would pick Tiger Woods. Pavin said Gray misquoted him and the two had a verbal spat after the U.S. captain's news conference on Wednesday. And you thought Colin Montgomerie would be the controversial one.

6. Tiger Woods isn't at his best right now, but does anyone doubt the future of the game is in good hands? Seven of the top-10 players entering the final round of the PGA Championship were in their 20s, with the 25-year-old Kaymer winning. Give them time to mature and some interesting rivalries might develop.

7. And while we're at it, let's think about what China's Wen-Chong Liang accomplished in finishing in a tie for eighth at the PGA Championship. Liang was 6 years old when Arnold Palmer designed and opened the country's first golf course in his homedown ot Zhongshan; Liang began playing about seven years later. Now he owns the Whistling Straits course record of 64 and should be a beacon to grow the game in his country.

8. Golf is a game that teaches a lot about character, and Sunday brought two striking examples. Nick Watney and Dustin Johnson played in the final group together at Whistling Straits and the day didn't turn out the way either had planned. Watney, who took a three-stroke lead into the final round, saw it disappear when he made double bogey on the first hole and Johnson birdied. Watney went on to shoot 81 while Johnson would have been in a playoff had it not been for a two-stroke penalty on the 72nd hole where he ground his club in a bunker. But both handled the disappointment with class and grace -- and sign that good things will come.

9. This is more forward spin than back but for the first time on the PGA TOUR, cell phones will be allowed on the course during competition day at the Wyndham Championship. Calls must be made from designated areas and phones must be on vibrate. Hopefully everyone will follow the rules, and the experiment will be a success.

This week's Kodak Challenge hole

HOLE: The par-5, 547-yard 15th at Sedgefield Country Club THIS WEEK: The downhill tee shot must avoid a small creek on the left and a large fairway bunker on the right. Going for the green in two will require a long carry over water and deep greenside bunkering to a severe back to front sloping green. Click here to tour the Kodak Challenge holes | Current Kodak Challenge standings

The Forward Spin

WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP: The Wyndham Championship offers players the final chance to earn points toward the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. When the winner is crowned at Sedgefield Country Club on Sunday only the top 125 players in the standings are eligible to compete in the Playoff opener at The Barclays. So the field this week features players on the outside looking in, as well as those looking to improve their position like Brandt Snedeker did in winning the 2007 event and moving to ninth in the FedExCup standings. The current bubble boy, Michael Letzig, is among those competing this week.