The next edition of the Masters of Augusta, from 11 to 14 April at the Augusta National, will not be just another one for Bernhard Langer. The legendary German golfer, aged 66, will compete for the last time in the iconic Green Jacket event. He confirmed this in the run-up to the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai, the tournament that kicks off the PGA Champions Tour season in Hawaii.
“It’s going to be my last Masters, I’ve already decided. And it’s probably going to be my last US Open too, unless some miracle happens,” he said. “I asked the president of the Augusta National several years ago: ‘Is there an age limit?’ And he told me: ‘Listen, Bernhard, you’ll know when it’s time to quit’, and I hope he’s right. I don’t want to make a fool of myself,” revealed the German golfer based in United States yesterday.
It will be the end point of one of the great stories of the famous major in Georgia, which saw Langer crowned as the tournament winner on two occasions, in 1985 and 1993, and accumulate simply extraordinary results with a total of 40 participations to date. No less than seven top 10s are in the German’s record at Augusta, in addition to his titles, with surprising longevity.
Because good old Bernhard has managed to place himself among the top 10 in the Masters ranking in four different decades. In the eighties, he won in 1985, was 7th in 1897 and 9th in 1989. In the nineties, he was 7th in 1990, won in 1993 and was again 7th in 1997. In the two thousand, he was 6th in 2001 and 4th in 2004. And last decade he achieved an impressive 8th place in 2014, at no less than 56 years of age.
Few golfers in the world, or practically none, know the secrets of the Augusta National like Langer does. Over the years he has delighted fans with spectacular videos, scrutinising every corner of a mythical course, a course that combines incomparable beauty with extreme difficulty. Especially in the famous Amen Corner, where glory hides year after year.
The German was the first Number One in the world after the creation of the World Golf Ranking. He is one of the few golfers who have won professional tournaments on all continents. He has victories on all the main circuits (42 of them on the European tour, the second in history with the most titles). And from 1984 to 2002, he made 19 consecutive cuts at Augusta, a course to which his figure will be forever linked and where he shone like few others, building a sensational legacy.
In his first victory, in 1985, he won with a two-stroke lead over Seve Ballesteros, Raymond Floyd and Curtis Strange. In the second, in 1993, he led by four strokes over Chip Beck. These were his only two majors (he was runner-up twice in the Open Championship, in 1981 and 1984). And in 2020 he became the oldest player in Masters history to make the cut, at 63 years old, a record that Fred Couples surpassed a few months ago.
Next April he will try again, already aware that it will be the last time he takes the driver out of his bag on the 1st tee of the Augusta National on a tournament Thursday in April. There will be memories, the legend, advice to young golf talents, the Champions’ Dinners… And a brilliant history in the world’s most famous tournament behind him. The PGA Champions Tour, where he is by far the most successful golfer, will allow him to enjoy a little longer a true legend. And also the next US Open…
As the winner of the past US Senior Open, Langer earned a place in the major to be held next June in Pinehurst. A huge test of fire: “It’s exciting to play it. At the same time, I’m aware that I’m going to be hitting 3 irons and 2 hybrids when the guys are hitting 9 irons. It’s hard to compete against that, but it’s a challenge, and I don’t usually shy away from challenges,” said the German, who will enjoy his last challenge at the Masters in April.
