Major drama

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. – Winds of nature and controversy whipped their way all around Martin Kaymer on Sunday at the PGA Championship, but he calmed them all with a peaceful tap-in for par.

The 25-year-old German edged Bubba Watson in what should have been a three-way playoff and became the eighth non-American to win in the past 12 majors.

But the missing man in the playoff caused as much news, as Dustin Johnson was docked two strokes for grounding his club in a hazard on the 18th hole.

Johnson missed a par putt on 18 to lose his 1-stroke lead over Kaymer and Watson. He was immediately greeted by PGA officials who said he was actually in a bunker when he grounded his club on his second shot, even though there were spectators all around him.

“I was shocked,” Kaymer said, “and very sad that it happened.”

Still, Johnson and Watson broke through into the automatic-qualifying list for the U.S. Ryder Cup team. The others in the top eight are Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Matt Kuchar, Jeff Overton and Hunter Mahan.

Anthony Kim and Lucas Glover were knocked off the list, and Tiger Woods, who finished 28th, did not make it. Captain Corey Pavin will announce four other picks on Sept. 7.

“I feel happy as I can be,” said Watson, who had the best round among the leaders, a 68. “The Ryder Cup is like my Olympics. Nobody had Bubba Watson on their radar this morning. I was just out there trying not to throw up on myself.”

Watson bogeyed the 17th to fall back to 11-under-par and Johnson got to 12-under with a birdie on 17. Kaymer led from the sixth hole until the 16th, but a flock of contenders buzzed around him on this dragonfly coast of Lake Michigan.

Rory McIlroy, Zach Johnson and 47-year-old Steve Elkington, the ’95 PGA champ at Riviera who is now non-exempt on the PGA Tour and unsponsored, were within one stroke of the lead down the stretch.

Kaymer had finished seventh in the U.S. Open and British Open and has five European Tour victories. He showed some steel on the 18th hole when he had to make a 15-footer to stay at 11-under.

“It’s a putt I made in the practice rounds but my caddie showed me a book that showed it broke more than I thought,” he said. “It’s a putt you have to make to win big tournaments.”

The playoff began on the 10th hole, which Watson almost drove from the tee. He birdied and Kaymer parred, but Kaymer rolled in an 18-foot birdie on 17, the next hole, while Watson parred.

On 18, Watson tried to hit 6-iron from 210 yards and it got caught in the wind and landed in Seven Mile Creek. His next shot found a bunker, but his bunker shot hit the pin.

“Before you ask, I would try that shot again every day,” Watson said. “I went for the win. I don’t play to lay up and hopefully make a par or tie or whatever.”

Kaymer had driven in the right rough and chipped out after Watson’s mistake. Then he backed off from his next shot when he heard a camera click, and rifled his third shot to within 15 feet.

His second putt was a tap-in and he reacted calmly, shaking Watson’s hand.

“I really didn’t think I was going to miss it,” he said, “but I stood there and thought about the feeling of winning.”

Nick Watney had led by three strokes after three rounds but double-bogeyed the first hole and shot 81 to finish 18th.

Mickelson he allowed himself some brief hopes of winning the PGA Championship on Sunday, even though he started the day seven strokes behind.

At 1-under through Saturday, Mickelson got to 7-under before a bogey at 18. He shot 5-under-par 67.

“I thought if I made a three at the last hole, eight-under might have an outside chance,” he said.

Woods’ 1-over-par 73 left him at 2-under for the tournament and means that he will go two calendar years without winning a major.

Woods’ last major win was the 2008 U.S. Open.