Kaymer is healthy and playing at a high level at the PGA Championship

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. (AP) - Martin Kaymer proved in the opening round of the PGA Championship on Thursday that he is, indeed, still playing competitive golf.

The two-time major winner - and 2010 PGA champ - fired a 3-under 67 on for a share of a seven-way tie for the lead.

Two days earlier at the event's champions dinner, Kaymer, who captains the Cleeks team in LIV Golf, was asked by a man if he still played.

That question set off a humorous exchange, with Kaymer assuring the man he was in suburban Philadelphia to compete.

"That's why I'm here," the German golfer told the questioner. "I'm not flying from Europe to here to have a New York strip (steak) with you guys, you know, of course I'm playing. And that really motivated me."

Kaymer recorded four birdies, including a closing 16-footer at the par-5 ninth, and a bogey as part of the afternoon starters who dodged the chilly morning conditions. That fast start extended a run in which his game was trending upward following a 12th-place finish in a LIV event in Virginia and a 35th in South Africa.

"I've been playing well the last two, three events out on LIV," the 41-year-old said. "I didn't have good results, but I was playing well. And I knew I find more consistency."

Kaymer said he's been struggling health-wise since 2021 and was frustrated by the inability to practice and perform up to his standards. Now, he says he is pain free and enjoying the ride.

"Everything is going the right direction," he said. "I can practice. It's fun. I have a great passion for the game. Playing those tough golf courses and doing well executing the golf shots the right way, that is really fun."

With his exemption for the U.S. Open expired in 2024, he sees his exemption into the PGA as his last chance to match up against golf's best.

"Competing against the best guys in the world, you do that in majors," Kaymer said. "That is the ultimate. And winning the PGA in 2010 and the U.S. Open, that is the ultimate feeling. No tournament, it doesn't matter on what tour you can play can keep up with that. So having the opportunity every year now for the few more years that is great."