Bernhard Langer tees off Friday on the 11th hole at Phoenix Country Club.
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Maybe he would reconsider?
Maybe he would think things over sometime after Friday? During the second round of the PGA Tour Charles Schwab Cup of Champions, he fired a 64-year-old, the 21st time the 67-year-old has hit his best age in tour play.
Or maybe he would change his mind… after these last six months? After all, he has posted seven top 10s in his return to action.
Or maybe he’d reassess … just because he’s been so great at Augusta National? There, he won twice, posted a total of nine top 10s and made 27 cuts in a remarkable 40 starts.
Bernhard Langer heard the question on Friday. In Januaryhe had said that this year’s Masters, in April, would be his last appearance, only then tore the left Achilles a month later, leading him to retire and postpone his farewell until 2025. But that was a while ago. Maybe he had reconsidered things?
No, Langer said, he hadn’t. Next April is still the final.
“It will be,” he said, “no doubt about it.”
The determination was obvious. He explained why.
“This course is so long,” Langer said. “The last five or 10 years that I’ve played there, it’s been playing too long. It’s not a lot of fun to hit 3-woods on par-4s, and 2-hybrids and all that stuff.
“The holes are made for 7-irons, 8-irons, 9-irons, and I’m going in with some irons and stuff.”
His answer was honest. So far, though, he said he hasn’t been too sentimental when he’s allowed himself to think about the future. He said he still has tournament golf to play. Like this week’s event. Even at age 67, he’s also still making tweaks to his game — at the Charles Schwab Cup, he said he moved the ball a little further away from him on the putt, giving it a better look.
And everything turned out great on Friday. He was five under through seven. Two early bogeys on the back nine slowed him down, but then he finished with birdies on 17 and 18. After that Achilles injury, which he suffered playing the pickleball. Yes, even in downtime, Langer is active.
Why Bernhard Langer’s surprise Masters announcement is so profound
“I’m a very positive person, so I always thought I would be able to come back,” he said. “My surgeon and PT said if everything goes somewhat well, you should be fine, just maybe miss half the season or something. It was lucky that I came back after three months actually.
“The nice thing is, we can use the carts here. Because I wasn’t able to walk 18 holes, that helped. When people ask me how I’m doing right now, I’m nowhere near 100 percent, but I’m a functional golfer.”
An understatement, no doubt. Just look at those numbers at the top of this article again.
But speaking of, does Langer ever surprise himself?
Do the 64s and tournament winnings amaze him?
They do, he admitted.
“You know, they’re certainly numbers, and numbers mean a lot of certain things,” Langer said. “The more you think about certain things — like another player asked me the other day how many Schwab Cups you’ve won. I said I won six and I should have won eight because the Covid year kind of got away from me, and I probably should have won another one. And he goes, wow, what’s next? Well, who’s the next best guy? I said, I don’t even know, maybe three. I don’t think anyone won more than two or three.
“Some of these numbers are pretty incredible and I’m very blessed to have done what I’ve done.”
But eventually there will be an end. His entire tournament play will be halted, not just the Masters. Interestingly, Langer hinted at when that might be on Friday when a reporter asked him how he continues to stay motivated.
As part of his response, he said he won’t get past the point where he feels unwanted, and you can appreciate that Langer knows where he stands.
“People asked me 20 years ago how long you’re going to play,” he said. “I’ve always said as long as I’m healthy and I’m having fun and playing well. When you win tournaments and you’ve been competing most of your life, I think if I get to a point where I feel like I don’t have a chance and I’m finishing 50th every week, I might consider giving up on that point or course to play. much less. But I’m not there yet.
“Still take it one year at a time and see how it feels.”
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