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Woods deserves more respect, says Kaymer Golf-Woods deserves more respect, says Kaymer
February 8, 2011
By Bernie McGuire

DUBAI, Feb 8 â€" Tiger Woods deserves to be givenmore respect for his huge contribution to golf while he seeks toreturn to winning ways, world number two Martin Kaymer said.

Woods, the greatest player of his generation and arguably ofall time, struggled through a winless 2010 campaign as he spentmuch of the season unsuccessfully trying to repair his marriageand undergoing the fourth swing change of his career.

The 14-times major champion, who was world number one formore than five years, has slipped to third in the rankings andtees up at this week’s Dubai Desert Classic looking to end a14-month title drought.

“Tiger shouldn’t be getting a hard time,” Kaymer, who hasbeen grouped with Woods for the opening two rounds, toldreporters.

“I have a lot of respect for him, all of the things that hedid and we should be very thankful for what he’s done for golf.

“Everybody knows he is struggling a little bit at the momentwith his game. But let him sort out a few things in his privatelife so that we can see more of people taking pictures of him onSunday afternoons.”

Organisers of the Dubai Desert Classic have grouped theworld’s top three playersâ€"number one Lee Westwood, Kaymer andWoods for the opening two rounds of the event.

It will be the first time Kaymer has competed alongsideWoods, a player he first admired in watching television coverageof the American’s 12-shot victory in the 1997 U.S. Masters.

“I have wanted to play alongside Tiger since ’97 when I sawhim win the Masters,” the German said.

“It was pretty much one of the first tournaments I watched,and I’ve been playing golf since I was 15. To see the bestplayer in the world winning a tournament like that was quite aninspiration and a motivation.”