Pressure got to Kaymer after he rose to world No. 1 spot, he admits

Martin Kaymer admits that he struggled to cope with becoming the world No. 1 in 2011.

The 26-year-old German reached the top spot in February after winning the Abu Dhabi Championship but struggled through much of the season before winning the WGC-HSBC Champions and finishing the year ranked fourth in the world.

He attempted to re-model his swing during that time, but insists it was the pressure, not the swing tweaks, that got to him.

"It's true that I wanted to make some changes so I could play better at the Masters," Kaymer said.

"To become No. 1 in the world, if you are an American player, an English player, Spanish, it's probably a little easier than being a German. We only had Bernhard Langer, who was one of the best players in the world," he explained. "He was the first No. 1 in the world, so when I became No. 1 it became big in Germany again.

"There were a lot of requests from people 'do this, do that'. I got invited to a lot of events -- some you want to do, some you don't. It's all a bit overwhelming," he added. "After a few months you realize why you became No. 1. It was because of what you did on a driving range, not in a studio. But it was a learning process. If I become No. 1 again, then I know how to approach it."

Kaymer said he has no regrets about tinkering with his swing.

"I'm 26 and I want to improve. I didn't want to be playing for the next 25 years with the same swing," he said. "You don't go forward in your career if you just stay the same."