Martin Kaymer keen for another stint at top of rankings

Martin Kaymer thinks he would cope better with the demands of being world No 1 if he can get back to the top of the rankings.

The 26-year-old knocked Lee Westwood off top spot in February and stayed there for eight weeks but now finds himself back down to fourth.

"I definitely had a little bit less time to practise and a little less time for family and friends because I had to do a lot of media," Kaymer said on the European Tour website.

He is now in Paris for the Alstom French Open at Le Golf National - the course chosen to host the 2018 Ryder Cup.

He said: "I had a lot of different requests that I was not used to having, but my management and my family and me are trying to organise everything as well as possible.

"It was fine. It was just a matter of getting used to it and, if it were to happen again, I would know what to expect and it would definitely be easier for me."

To many people's surprise the German tried to make swing changes for The Masters in April, but missed the cut there for the fourth season in a row.

He did then reach the semi-finals of the Volvo World Match Play in Spain before losing to Luke Donald - as he had in the final of golf's other match play event in Arizona four months ago. His best finish since has been 18th in Munich last weekend and that allowed new US Open champion Rory McIlroy to join Donald and Westwood ahead of him in the rankings.

England's top two return to action at next week's Barclays Scottish Open, while McIlroy is waiting for The Open at Sandwich in a fortnight's time.

Kaymer can claim third spot back with a top-eight finish and will be expected to do far better than that on a course where he won two years ago and against a field with only one more of the game's top 20 - American Bubba Watson. It is the big-hitting left-hander's first appearance in a regular European Tour. He has already won twice at home this year and moved up from 32nd to 12th on the rankings.

Colin Montgomerie is among those not exempt for The Open, who need a top-five finish either this Sunday or at Castle Stuart to qualify. Montgomerie will hope to draw on the memory of three years ago when he was runner-up to Spain's Pablo Larrazabal.

On the PGA Tour, Justin Rose admits three missed cuts in a row and no top 10 finishes since March provide a stark contrast to a year ago as he defends his AT&T National title in Pennsylvania this week. The 30-year-old said: "It's pretty much the polar opposite to last year really.

"The last few weeks I've run into a bit of trouble, but I guess in some ways I come in with sort of no expectation, which can be a good thing.

"I feel like I'm working on a few areas of my game right now. The game is not bad and the results could sort of pop out at any point I feel."