Perhaps the most impressive part of Bernhard Langer’s ageless greatness is how we’ve come to take it for granted.
He’s like the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life.” No matter how often you watch it, it’s still as good as ever.
Whether in print, on television or around a table in the grillroom whenever the conversation arises about the best players ever, Langer’s name is rarely, if ever, mentioned.
It should be.
He’s that good.
Langer belongs in a special “best ever” category for his enduring excellence, his extraordinary consistency and his unwavering commitment to doing it his way.
Put Vijay Singh there for winning 22 times on the PGA Tour after the age of 40. Put Hale Irwin there for winning 45 times after turning 50. Sam Snead is there because he belongs on every list of great players. And put Langer right there with them.
When Langer turns 65, he’s likely to be the defending Charles Schwab Cup champion (he’s won it five times and is leading with two events to play this year) and there’s no reason to think he won’t be capable of winning it again next year.
When Langer won the Dominion Energy Charity Classic on Sunday in a playoff over his friend Doug Barron, it was Langer’s 42nd PGA Tour Champions win, leaving him three shy of Irwin’s all-time victory record.
Irwin, by the way, played 481 Champions tour events while Langer has played 292. The math is on Langer’s side.
Langer became the oldest player to win on the senior circuit, clocking in at 64 years, one month and 27 days old – eclipsing the record held by 63-year old Scott Hoch who won a team event with Tom Pernice Jr. two years ago.
It wasn’t that many years ago when turning 65 meant mandatory retirement for many people. It’s still a golden number for many whose work has them counting down the days until they can stop.
When Langer turns 65, he’s likely to be the defending Charles Schwab Cup champion (he’s won it five times and is leading with two events to play this year) and there’s no reason to think he won’t be capable of winning it again next year.
He’s living proof that age is just a number.
“I don’t aspire to play when I’m at the same age as him. He’s just an anomaly. He’s incredibly, incredibly gifted,” Barron said Sunday, adding that if he had to lose in a playoff, he’s happy it was Langer who beat him.
Langer beats everyone else. Barron was just one more name added to the list.
“I don’t see him slowing down,” said Scott McCarron, who beat Langer for the 2019 Schwab Cup.
Why should he?
Langer has proven across the decades that his way works for him. He won just three PGA Tour events – two Masters and one Sea Pines Heritage – but he never fully committed to the PGA Tour, preferring to keep the European Tour as his base.
As a 48-year old, Langer had three top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour, foreshadowing what was to come when he turned 50.
Langer’s brilliance is built on his preparation and his commitment to his plan.
“He never makes big mistakes. He plots a golf course. He’s planned everything out and he sticks to his plan. You don’t see him making rash decisions because he’s made a bogey,” McCarron said.
“He works harder than about anyone I’ve ever seen. Vijay might hit more balls but Langer spends more time plotting his way around a course than anyone in the history of the game. He will win on Sunday then on Monday be at the next course, walking it, chipping and putting it even if he’s played it for 10 or 15 years.”
There comes a time, however, when age finally wins, but so far Langer still has a step on Father Time. He eats right (though he will indulge in desserts), he stretches and gets his rest.
He still skis black diamond slopes, has a wife and four children, pays his own bills and answers his own fan mail. He’s a devoted Christian and he credited a Bible verse he received from a friend on Sunday morning with helping him win for the first time in 20 months.
Langer had played in the final pairing six times this year without winning – until Sunday.
“I think it’s just encouraging to everybody that’s over 50 or 60, we can still perform at a very high level and you should never give up,” said Langer, who has 24 top-10 finishes this COVID-extended season. “There’s always room for improvement. And of course physical conditioning is one thing. You’ve got to be mentally tough, you’ve got to have good technique and nerves and all the rest of it.
“It’s very special because when you get to my age, you never know if you’re going to win again, it’s as simple as that. Hopefully this won’t be the last one, but if it is, it was very special. To become the oldest so far to win out here, it’s not easy. It doesn’t matter what you do, it’s not easy. There have been a lot of great players before me from Nicklaus to Palmer to Snead to Trevino and on and on you go, so I’ve been very blessed and fortunate to have gotten this far.”
When Langer won on Sunday, McCarron texted congratulations to his friend, who quickly responded.
What Langer didn’t say in his message, McCarron already knew.
“He wants to be the best and he still is,” McCarron said.