PINEHURST, N.C. -- The U.S. Open trophy Martin Kaymer won Sunday was all he needed to prove he was anything but a one-hit wonder in the majors, and that the two years he spent trying to build a complete game were worth all the doubt that followed him. As he set it down on the table, Kaymer rubbed off a tiny smudge on the gleaming silver, which was only fitting. Over four days at Pinehurst No. 2, he dusted the field in a performance that ranks among the best. Kaymer set the 36-hole scoring record by opening with a pair of 65s. He never let anyone closer than four shots over the final 48 holes. Equipped with a five-shot lead, he was the only player from the last eight groups to break par. Welcome back, Martin. "You want to win majors in your career, but if you can win one more, it means so much more," Kaymer said after closing with a 1-under 69 for an eight-shot victory over Rickie Fowler and two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton. "Some people, especially when I went through that low, called me a one-hit wonder and those things. So its quite nice proof, even though I dont feel like I need to prove a lot to people. But somehow, its quite satisfying to have two under your belt." The 29-year-old German is a forgotten star no more. Kaymer returned to the elite in golf by turning the toughest test in golf into a runaway at Pinehurst No. 2, becoming only the seventh player to go wire-to-wire in the 114 years of the U.S. Open. Only three players finished the championship under par. One guy appeared to be playing a different tournament. "No one was catching Kaymer this week," Compton said. "I was playing for second. I think we all were playing for second." Only a late bogey kept Kaymer from joining Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy as the only players to finish a U.S. Open in double digits under par. He let his putter fall to the ground when his 15-foot par putt on the 18th hole dropped into the centre of the cup, like so many others had this week. Kaymer finished at 9-under 271. His last two wins are the U.S. Open and The Players Championship, with the strongest and deepest field in golf. He never trailed after any round in both of them. "Martin was playing his own tournament," Fowler said after recovering from a double bogey on the fourth hole to close with a 72. This U.S. Open really ended Friday. No one had ever opened 65-65 in the U.S. Open, which broke the 36-hole record that McIlroy set three years ago rain-softened Congressional. When it could have gotten away from Kaymer in the third round, he stayed strong for a stabilizing 72. "He kind of killed the event in the first two days," Henrik Stenson said. "He went out and shot two 65s and left everyone in the dust." He did it again in the final round. Knowing the gallery was against him -- the loud cheers for Fowler, clapping when Kaymers ball bounded over the back of the second green -- he holed a 10-foot par putt, and then drilled a driver on the 313-yard third hole onto the green to set up a two-putt birdie. Fowler, in the final group of a major for the first time, fell back quickly on the fourth hole. He sent his third shot from a sandy path over the green and into some pine trees and had to make a 25-foot putt just to escape with double bogey. "It was probably the toughest day that I played golf today, especially the first nine," Kaymer said. "Because if you have two or three Americans chasing you, playing in America, its never easy being a foreigner. But I said at the ceremony as well that the fans were very fair. But it was a tough one. If you lead by five shots, its not easy. "A lot of people think, Well, you have a little bit of a cushion. But if you approach that day in that way, with that attitude, it can be gone so quickly." No chance on this day. Compton was the only player who really put up a fight. His birdie on No. 8 got him within four shots. Three bogeys in a five-hole stretch on the back nine did him in. Even so, Compton received a standing ovation walking the 18th green. He somehow scratched out a par from 50 yards away against the lip of a bunker. It wasnt the Hollywood script he wanted, but it wasnt a bad consolation -- his first trip to the Masters next April. "Ive never gotten this far along in my story," Compton said. "Im thrilled." Kaymer joined Seve Ballesteros, Ernie Els, Woods and McIlroy as the only players to win two majors and be No. 1 in the world before turning 30 since the world ranking began in 1986. He is the fourth European in the last five years to win the U.S. Open, after Europeans had gone 40 years without this title. Its a rebirth for Kaymer, who reached No. 1 in the world in February 2011, only to believe that he needed a more rounded game. His preferred shot was a fade. Kaymer spent two hard years and a lot of lonely hours on the range in Germany and his American home in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was as low as No. 63 in the world six weeks ago. Now he goes to No. 11. Woods still holds the most dominant U.S. Open win -- 15 shots at Pebble Beach in 2000. McIlroy holds the scoring record at 16-under 268. "Im wondering how he did it," McIlroy said. "Obviously, if you limit the mistakes, you might end up a couple under for the week. But to do what hes doing ... I think its nearly more impressive than what I did at Congressional." Among those who congratulated Kaymer on the 18th green was Sandra Gal, a German player on the LPGA Tour. The U.S. Womens Open takes over Pinehurst No. 2 on Monday. Clearance Air Vapormax . 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Arsenal had already scored its goals in the third round fixture when the fierce rivalry turned ugly in the final ten minutes as Walcott was being carried off on a stretcher.Gareth Southgates reign as interim England manager began with a 2-0 victory over Malta in Saturdays World Cup qualifier at Wembley. Southgate, in temporary charge after Sam Allardyces departure last week, watched as Daniel Sturridge headed the opener in the first half, with Dele Alli dispatching their second before a quiet second half.Here, we pick out five talking points from a solid but unspectacular victory for the Three Lions… Southgate makes winning startA few weeks ago Gareth Southgate was expecting to spend the international break preparing for the U21s meetings with Kazakhstan and Bosnia and Herzegovina, but Allardyces sudden departure has thrust him into an unfamiliar role, and he can have few complaints about his first game in charge. Gareth Southgate speaks to Sky Sports after Englands 2-0 win over Malta It was not the thrashing many people had anticipated, but England could hardly have been more comfortable. Eighty per cent possession and 20 shots to Maltas one highlighted their dominance, and their two-goal half-time lead allowed them to coast through the second period and conserve their energy for Tuesdays trip to Slovenia.A meeting with Malta is unlikely to have much bearing on whether Southgate gets the job on a permanent basis, but its a platform to build on and the 46-year-old was pleased with the result. I thought we did some very good things, he told Sky Sports. After a difficult 10 days, for them to play like they did in the first half was pleasing. Theres a lot more to come.Henderson pulls the stringsJordan Henderson has made a strong start to the season with Liverpool and his impressive form continued at Wembley. The 26-year-old was deployed in his usual deep-lying midfield role, but that didnt stop him being Englands main creative outlet. Liverpools Jordan Henderson was named man-of-the-match He carved Malta open with a string of accurate long-range passes in the first half, setting up Jesse Lingard for a glorious chance before providing the assist for his club team-mate Sturridge to score the opener. He was heavily involved in the second goal, too, bursting into the box and teeing up Alli to find the net at the second attempt. Henderson the creator Jordan Henderson created four goalscoring chances agaainst Malta - twice as many as any other player on the pitch.dddddddddddd Henderson was a peripheral figure at Euro 2016, but recent evidence suggests he may be worthy of a more prominent role in the national side. Southgate will have been impressed by what he saw.Rooney returns to midfield Rooney may not have a future in Manchester Uniteds midfield but he was back in the middle of the park for Southgates first game in charge of the national team - just as he was under Allardyce against Slovakia. Wayne Rooney returned to Englands midfield at Wembley He saw plenty of the ball, taking 170 touches and completing 133 passes, but his contribution was minimal compared to his midfield partner Henderson, and he was also fortunate to avoid punishment for a studs-up challenge on Malta captain Andre Schembri in the first half.Englands midfield was rarely troubled in a defensive sense by the Group F minnows, but with Eric Dier waiting in the wings, Rooney offered little to suggest he would merit a place in the starting line-up against stronger opposition.Sturridge makes his caseSturridge only played eight minutes of Englands opening group game against Slovakia last month, so he will have been pleased to mark his return to the starting line-up with a goal against Malta. Daniel Sturridge scored from Jordan Hendersons cross in the first half The Liverpool man made the most of slack marking to guide Hendersons cross into the net, and he would have added to his tally were it not for a combination of wasteful finishing and impressive goalkeeping by Maltas Andrew Hogg.All in all, though, it was a good nights work for the 27-year-old. England have real competition for places in attack, but Harry Kanes injury has given Sturridge a chance to stake his claim. He will be hoping to keep his place in the team over Jamie Vardy and Marcus Rashford against Slovenia.Tougher tests to comeThe result was never in doubt here, but Southgates credentials will be more strongly tested on Tuesday night in Ljubljana. The Three Lions needed an 86th-minute winner from Rooney on their last trip to the Slovenian capital in June 2015, and it will be another tricky test this time around. Maltas Alfred Effiong controls the ball under pressure from Wayne Rooney and John Stones Southgate may still be in place when England welcome old foes Scotland to Wembley in a months time, and then theres the prospect of a showpiece friendly against Julen Lopeteguis Spain. Southgate and his players put the Allardyce affair behind them with Saturdays easy win over Malta, but there are far more difficult tests ahead.You can watch Englands tour of Bangladesh, plus Premier League football and the Japan Grand Prix on Sky Sports. Upgrade now and enjoy three months at half price! Also See: Solid start for Southgate England 2-0 Malta recap ' ' '