Someone at the PGA Championship champions dinner asked professional golfer Martin Kaymer, "Do you still play?" and he answered with a share of the first-round lead.

The 2010 PGA Championship winner shot a 3-under 67 Thursday at Aronimink Golf Club to share the first-round lead with Scottie Scheffler, Aldrich Potgieter, Stephan Jaeger, and four others.

His resurgence began two nights earlier at the champions dinner. "On Tuesday evening, we had the champions dinner, and there was a gentleman sitting next to me from the PGA of America, and he asked me if I still play," Kaymer said in his post-round flash interview.

"And I said, 'What do you mean?' He said, 'Well, are you playing this week?' And I said, 'Yeah, that's why I'm here. I'm not flying from Europe to here to have a New York strip with you guys.'"

"That really motivated me," he added.

On the course, Kaymer hit fairways, chased lag putts, and avoided the short par saves that can unravel a round quickly.

"I avoided those 5-, 6-, 7-footers for par that can be quite stressful," Kaymer said. "I made one poor tee shot, and the rest of it was very consistent."

One highlight came on the par-5 ninth. Kaymer pulled off a driver off the deck from 300 yards out after his caddie said a 3-wood had no chance of reaching the front of the green.

"I practice a lot with the driver from the fairway," he said. "If you can do it in practice, why shouldn't you be able to do it in the tournament?"

Kaymer's performance represents a significant personal victory over years of physical setbacks.

Martin Kaymer’s Five-Year Health Struggle Makes His Round 1 Lead Even More Special

Martin Kaymer has dealt with surgeries and physical problems since 2021, but after recent treatment, he entered the PGA Championship pain-free for the first time in years.

Kaymer didn't hold back about how difficult the last five years have been. "I was always hurt. I always came into tournaments never prepared," he said. "The other guys were ready to play. They were playing great. To be honest, it really p***** me off."

Proper treatment over the last four to five weeks removed the pain entirely and gave him the chance to practice again heading into the week.

"I have a great passion for the game," Kaymer said. "Playing those tough golf courses and doing well, executing the golf shots the right way, that is really fun."

Kaymer said winning the 2010 PGA Championship and the U.S. Open was the best feeling, and no other tournament could match it.

Kaymer, who won this event 16 years ago, said competing in majors still carries a different weight entirely. He sits at 2-over par during R2.

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Pulkit Prabhav