10 European Tour wins – including a maiden ‘Major’ championship in his first six seasons on the European Tour for German wunderkind Martin Kaymer surprised nobody except perhaps the self-effacing young man from Dusseldorf.

And he became eligible for a third successive tilt at the Volvo World Match Play Championship at Finca Cortesín thanks to his third place position on the final Race to Dubai Rankings last term.

The 27-year-old German won twice last season, a third win in the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship earning him the trophy in perpetuity followed by victory in the WGC HSBC Champions in Shanghai, China.

He loves match play too, having lost to Luke Donald in the final of the 2012 WGC Accenture Match Play in Arizona before losing in the semi-final to the same player at Finca Cortesín last year.

Having recorded his maiden ‘Major’ title by winning the 2010 USPGA Championship, Kaymer is perhaps the only long-term threat to the global golfing supremacy of Rory McIlroy, and, with more ‘Majors’ in his sights and a repeat performance in his second Ryder Cup appearance for Europe against the USA in September, the German has not been out of the top 20 in his past four starts on 2012.

Martin Kaymer qualified for the 2012 Volvo World Match Play Championship through his final position on the 2011 Race to Dubai Ranking.