Getty images

By Kent Gray
Martin Kaymer knows better than most how to negotiate The National as his opening 66 at the 14^th Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship amply illustrated.

Indeed, you’d think the three-time champion, especially after such a fast start that left him four shots adrift of overnight leader Shane Lowry, would be oozing confidence every time he tees it up at Abu Dhabi G.C. Except he isn’t.

“You would think so but I think the expectations are quite high, not only by getting asked those questions, also from yourself, knowing what you’ve done in the past,” the two-time major champion said.

“That you normally are 3- or 4-under par after nine or 10 holes, so you need to lower your expectations and just see every day for what it is.”

Wednesday was a memorable one for the 34-year-old as he made a bogey-free, six birdie start to his tilt for a fourth Falcon trophy – and a first title since his 2014 U.S. Open triumph at Pinehurst.

“The fairways are a little bit tighter, the rough is a little bit thicker, so you do feel it, and I can imagine especially in the mornings when the grass is wet. Today the ball flew a very long ways, so even if you hit it in the rough, you still had only maybe nine 9-iron or pitching wedge into the greens on the par-4s. It’s definitely more tricky, but it’s still playable.” Especially with lower expectations.