Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Bernhard Langer swooping in to claim yet more golfing prizes and plaudits. "The guy's a super hero,” suggested fellow veteran Paul Goydos with the same gasping, slack-jawed wonderment you’d get if you saw Clark Kent slip into his body-hugging blue suit and red cape, catch an apocalyptic asteroid in his hands and hurl it back into outer space.
Perhaps the only way to stop the all-conquering Langer is for Goydos, and the rest of senior tour campaigners, to shove a clump of Kryptonite into the German’s bag? Goydos may have won the final event on the lucrative Champions Tour last weekend but it was runner-up Langer who took the ultimate honours as he captured the Charles Schwab Cup for the third successive year and topped the over-50s money list for the eighth time in nine prolific seasons among the golden oldies.
With the kind of routine, unwavering consistency you get with the German rail network, Langer played in 21 events on the Champions Tour in 2016 and had 18 top-10 finishes, including a quartet of wins. Indeed, his worst finish was a share of 13th while his total haul of victories in almost 10 years of senior service now stands at a mighty 29.
At a sprightly 59-years-young, Langer continues to show the sturdy longevity of an industrial rivet. For all those golfers out there of a more redoubtable vintage – yes, perhaps even you sitting there reading this and questioning whether thrashing away at a little dimpled ba’ is really worth the anguish – Langer remains a truly inspirational figure. And he seems to be getting better with each passing year. “I’ve been known to be consistent but never this consistent and that still gives me hope that there’s a few more years left,” said the former Masters champion. “It gives hope to all the guys who are in their 50s and even their 60s. I’m still convinced I can improve my golf game. And there are many in that boat who can do the same.”
The press conference which followed the Charles Schwab Cup conclusion on Sunday night featured levels of gushing, bended knee reverence that used to be reserved for Zeus.
“I didn’t have a question,” said one scribe in attendance. “I have a comment. You are amazing.” The apotheosis of St Bernhard was in full cry. Langer first marched out on the senior circuit when he reached his half century in 2007 and has burnished that profitable decade with six major wins and earnings of almost £17 million.
“In 2007, I couldn’t have imagined then what I would accomplish,” he reflected. “I have to pinch myself at the things I have done out here over the last 10 years. I came here looking to be one of the top 10 but the way it’s gone has been incredible.
“When I won my first senior major (in 2010), I knew I was one of the better players. I thought if I could elevate my game just a little bit more, I could be dominating. I’m always looking for ways to improve my swing or my short game. I sometimes throw in the idea of improving my score by half a stroke a day. That could be two strokes a week. It's just margins. It is not a joke when I say I can get better. I know I can hit more fairways, hit more greens, get it up-and-down more often and make more putts. You have to believe. Confidence is a great deal in golf. Confidence breeds success and success breeds confidence. It’s a cycle. When you’re not doing well, it goes the other way. It’s a vicious cycle, you lose confidence and you don’t do well. I was two over after 5 or 6 holes (during the first round last week). If you didn’t have confidence you’d say ‘let’s just hope we don’t shoot 80’. But I had belief and I said ‘I have 12 holes left, let’s get birdies’. I shot a good round.”
Fitness, spirituality, healthy eating and a drouth for competition that remains unquenchable are all part and parcel of the Langer approach but even the most dedicated and disciplined can’t always avoid the ravages of time. “My knee, it’s not healthy,” he said.
The close season will give him an opportunity to soothe the aches and pains. It will also give him a chance to tune up the tools of his trade. “Some of my clubs are 16 years old,” he said. “I still hope to find better equipment and play even better golf these next few years.”
There’s clearly still plenty of golfing life left in this auld yin from Anhausen.
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