Bernhard Langer commented on the grandiose record win in his very own way. “The golf ball doesn’t know how old we are,” joked the 65-year-old Swabian after the triumph at the US Senior Open.
With title number 46, Germany’s golf icon was crowned the most successful player in the history of the US Seniors Tour on Sunday. The man from Anhausen is now the sole record holder for the over 50s.
At 65 years, 10 months and 5 days, Langer also improved his record as the oldest winner on the US Senior Tour. The 1985 and 1993 Masters winner trumped golf legend Hale Irwin at the major tournament. The American has won 45 tournaments in his career. Langer won Sunday in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, thanks to a final round of 70 with a total of 277 shots ahead of Americans Steve Stricker (279 shots) and Jerry Kelly (280).
Langer swears by “good genes”
The veteran is particularly proud of his twelfth major victory in the over-50s: “To have won more majors on this tour than anyone else, that’s incredible.” After another coup, Langer still doesn’t think about quitting: “I have a mother who turns 100 on August 4, so I think I have good genes. Hopefully I’ll be there for a few more years.” Although he is in much more pain than ten years ago, he still enjoys the game. “There was a week or two where I was like, ‘What were you doing out here? Go home and play with your grandkids.’
Langer, who lives in Boca Raton, Florida, has been the star of the US Seniors Tour for 16 years. The veteran has so far earned more than 35 million US dollars in prize money among the over-50s. The father of four’s recipe for success: ambition, passion, discipline and outstanding fitness.
