Plum draw with Els for German Kaymer

By Norman Dabell

SOUTHPORT (Reuters) - Europe's 2007 rookie of the year Martin Kaymer is delighted to be making his British Open debut on Thursday alongside his role model Ernie Els.

The 23-year-old German earned his plum draw with Els, the South African world number five and 2002 British Open champion, after claiming two European Tour titles this season.

When Kaymer won the second of those titles, last month's BMW International Open in Munich, he said his compatriot Bernhard Langer had been his inspiration but that Els was his role model.

"It's great playing with Ernie for my first (British) Open and I'm really looking forward to it," Kaymer told Reuters on Wednesday.

"I played with him in Dubai this year and last year in Munich and I just love his style and his relaxed way of playing.

"Our swing thoughts are very similar and my swing is very similar to his, so I'm going to have that right in front of me. It makes my playing of my first Open that little bit easier.

"Ernie's always top five in the world and he's such a nice person as well."

MOTHER'S DEATH

The Dusseldorf-born Kaymer is mourning the death of his mother two weeks ago, to whom he dedicated his win in Munich.

However, this week he is battling that grief to fulfill another of his mother's dreams for her son -- a coveted Ryder Cup place.

Despite taking a fortnight's break from the European Tour to be at home, Kaymer still holds the 10th and final qualifying spot in the Cup standings.

"I didn't play for the last two weeks and dropped down the (Cup) rankings a little bit, so this week is very important and then the two tournaments in America (WGC Bridgestone Invitational and U.S. PGA Championship)," he said.

"I still have a good chance and I would love to be a member of the Ryder Cup team for lots of reasons. If it doesn't happen this year, I hope it does over the next years.

"For this week, my first goal is to make the cut and then we'll see how far I can go. I made the cut at the U.S. Open and now I'll try to do it here, too. It will be awesome to walk down the 18th on Sunday afternoon."

(Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)