Rory McIlroy inspires Martin Kaymer, now trails him by 3 in Abu Dhabi

Rory McIlroy, in the eyes of Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship first-round leader Martin Kaymer, has been a source of inspiration about how to deal with the life-changing consequences of capturing a major title.

The 30-year-old from Dusseldorf fired an 8-under 64 to hold off a hard-charging McIlroy on Thursday to maintain a three-shot lead over the world No. 1 in both players’ 2015 European Tour debut. Prior to the start of the tourney, Kaymer conceded he had a difficult time coping with the fame that followed his 2010 PGA Championship and brief stay in 2011 atop the world golf rankings.

“I was surprised about a lot of things. I couldn’t handle a lot of things that happened in Germany, all the attention I was getting after winning the PGA Championship,” Kaymer, also the reigning U.S. Open champ, told Bernie McGuire from the Emirates on Wednesday. “And then becoming No. 1 in the world, that added another thing. It was too much.”

Watching McIlroy’s approach to the madness that continues to swirl around him after two major wins in 2014 and the prospect of completing the career grand slam in April at Augusta looming, Kaymer has learned to take what comes in stride.

“Why Rory achieved last year came about because he was on a high, on a roll and I believe he uses the media focus, all the attention in a very, very positive way,” said Kaymer, who went wire-to-wire at Pinehurst in June to post his second major. “It’s that attention that drives him even more and it’s huge what he has achieved, and he’s used that in such a great positive manner to achieve more success.”

McIlroy possesses a certain intangible quality that Kaymer aspires to own.

“It’s difficult but you have to be that person,” he said. “I am not saying that you can’t win tournaments not being ‘that’ person but in order to embrace it you need to have that.”

Also challenging for Kaymer, who is not naturally inclined to hog the limelight, will be conquering his fears as he tries to deny McIlroy his first green jacket on golf’s grandest stage.

“There is a lot of athletes afraid of the attention, afraid of the unknown and that’s why some great athletes that find that situation natural whereas there’s others who want to see how they will feel in getting into that situation,” he said. “I do [embrace the angst] because otherwise I would not [have] won the tournaments I’ve won. But it is a feeling that is tough to learn.”

Kaymer, who won in Abu Dhabi in 2008, 2010, and 2011, will begin Friday’s second round with a one-stroke advantage over Thomas Pieters. McIlroy put on a show down the stretch of his opening round, nailing five birdies in his final seven holes to keep pace with playing partner Rickie Fowler, whose sole flaw was a bogey on the par-4 ninth, the duo’s last hole of the day.