‘It is time to quit,’ Langer says, so this is a bittersweet Masters for him
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Bernhard Langer is playing in his 41st and final Masters this year. It marks the end of an era, as he’s the last champion from the 1980s to play in this tournament.
“It’s very emotional,” he said. “You can tell already my voice is breaking a bit. Just realizing my last competitive Masters.”
Langer Is the last of a generation with a legacy woven through these sacred grounds.
He’s the only German to ever wear the green jacket.
He’s on an elite list of players to win more than once.
And he’s one of just 12 players to make 40 starts at the Masters.
“It was this far out there. America was far away. American golfers were supposed to be the greatest, the best. It was all kind of a dream,” he said.
It’s an opportunity he almost didn’t get.
The 2024 Masters was supposed to be Langer’s last, but Achilles tendon surgery kept him out of the field.
He could’ve called it there, but he wanted one last go in a tournament he’s won twice.
As a true student of the game, he’s still learning.
BERNHARD LANGER’S FULL INTERVIEW WITH NEWS 12
This time, he’s getting advice from other champions who have already played their final rounds.
“I was having breakfast yesterday with Larry Mize, who’s one of my better friends. … He’s already been through it. … I’ll pick a few more people’s brains. I was hoping to talk to Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam and a couple of my other buddies who have already said goodbye,” Langer said.
He’s saying goodbye on one of golf’s most challenging and revered courses.
He knows it rewards distance – something he doesn’t have as much of at age 67.
So like so many legends before him, he’s decided to call it a Masters career.
When we spoke two weeks ago, he said he wanted to give himself and the patrons one last moment to share together.
“I know it’s gonna be emotional … seeing my wife and my kids and grandkids and you know hopefully get cheered on by the people,” he said.
He says coming to the Masters is certainly a long way from the German village of 800 where he was born, “where golf was nothing.”
“To make it here, to get an invitation to play the Masters first time around when it was extremely difficult for a European or international players to get an invitation, and then to win the first Masters on the third go-around was just a dream come true,” he said. “It’s just incredible.”
He said that when he turned pro, he had no idea what he’d be facing. He had no role models.
But a lot has changed.
“For me as a past champion, to have our own locker room, to have our own parking facility, it’s really unique, and it means a great deal,” he said.
“I think I can say this for every champion. We’re extremely proud to be wearing the green jacket and representing the Masters all over the world.”
This week is very emotional for him, he said.
“You can tell already my voice is breaking a bit just realizing it’s going to be my last competitive Masters,” he said. “After four decades, it’s going to be bittersweet. I think I knew it was time to call it quits as a player. I wanted to do it last year but I couldn’t with my Achilles surgery. The course is just getting too long and I’m getting shorter and shorter and I’m hitting hybrids where the other kids are hitting 9-irons and 8-irons, maybe even wedges. So I knew I wasn’t going to be in contention anymore.”
When he asked the chairman a few years ago if there was an official age to quit, he said no, but you’ll know when it’s time to quit.
“It is time to quit,” Langer said. “I’m just not competitive on this course anymore. We’re playing, what, 7,500-plus yards, and I’m used to playing courses around 7,100. I can still compete there but not at this distance.”
What’s his message to people about longevity, consistency and following a dream?
“It’s so volatile. It’s like the stock market. It just comes and goes. You hear major winners one day, and then you don’t hear about them two years later for some reason,” he said.
“It’s a difficult thing. I guess God has blessed me with tremendous talent and being a great competitor, but there’s many other things that are important. You need to be healthy. You’ve got to have a great system, a good caddie, a good coach, on and on, the list goes on. You’ve got to be willing to sacrifice, as well, because it’s not always easy.”
When young kids come to him, what kind of character advice would he give them?
“Well, you’ve got to be totally dedicated nowadays to become really good. There’s so much competition worldwide. The game has grown all over the globe,” he said.
“As you get up higher and higher and better and better, it gets tougher and tougher. For everyone that gives up, there’s a thousand who will take your spot. You’ve got to be very focused, very determined. You’ve got to live a disciplined life and be able to sacrifice a few things and focus on what’s important.
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