Bernhard Langer (golfer)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bernhard Langer
Bernhard Langer (2009)
Personnel
Nation: GermanyGermany Germany
Nickname: Mister Consistency
Career data
Professional since: 1976
Current tour: Champions Tour
Tournament wins: 112
Major wins : 2 (1985, 1993)
11 Senior Majors (2 × 2010, 2 × 2014, 1 × 2015, 2 × 2016, 3 × 2017, 1 × 2019)
Awards: World Golf Hall of Fame (2002),
OBE (2006),
Winner of the European Tour Order of Merit (1981, 1984),
European Tour Player of the Year (1985, 1993),
Champions Tour Rookie of the Year (2008),
Jack Nicklaus Trophy (2008–10, 2014–18),
Arnold Palmer Award (2008–10, 2012–18),
Byron Nelson Award (2008/09, 2014–18),
Charles Schwab Cup (2010, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018),
Payne Stewart Award (2018)

Bernhard Langer , OBE (born August 27, 1957 in Anhausen ) is a German professional golfer . He is one of the "Big Five", a group of world-class golfers who were all born within 12 months, won at least one major and made Europe competitive in the Ryder Cup . The others are Severiano Ballesteros , Nick Faldo , Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam . Langer is the first German golfer to gain international attention.

Bernhard Langer, 1985
Bernhard Langer, Honda Open 1992

Career

Pro tour

Langer won his first professional tournament at the age of 17 in Refrath near Cologne and then started his professional career in 1976 as a golf instructor at the Augsburg - Bobingen / Burgwalden Golf Club . As a playing pro, he won the German golf teacher championship in Stuttgart in 1979 on the course of the Stuttgart Golf Club Solitude eV , where he also won the Lufthansa German Open in 1982 and the American Express in 1985 , the national championship. To the surprise of all experts, he won his first major European tournament in 1980 in Chepstow, Wales. For many golf fans it became immortal in 1981 when the ball got stuck high up in the fork of an ash tree at the golf tournament in Fulford on hole 17. Langer renounced the penalty stroke and climbed up the tree amid the laughter of the spectators and chipped the ball onto the green. So he saved the par and finished second in the end. Today the tree is decorated with a plaque in memory of this curiosity. His big breakthrough came with his first major title, winning the Masters on April 14, 1985 in Augusta (Georgia, USA) . He was the first German to receive the green winner's jacket. In 1986 Langer was the first number 1 in the newly established golf world rankings . In 1993 he was able to repeat his triumph in Augusta when he won his second major tournament. In 2006 he won the unofficial team world championship in Barbados for the second time alongside Marcel Siem (16 years after his first historic victory, then with Torsten Giedeon ).

Since 2007 (after his 50th birthday) Langer has been playing on the North American Champions Tour (named Senior PGA Tour until 2002 ) for the over 50-year-old professional golfers, which he won straight away. At the same time, he took first place in the Champions Tour money list in 2008 and 2009 and was named the best player in both years (2008 also as the best newcomer ). In 2010 he won both the Senior British Open and the Senior US Open on two consecutive weekends.

In 2014 Langer surprised at the Masters in Augusta at the age of 56 with a shared 8th place. Equipped with a lifetime start, he also competed at the US Masters in 2015, but failed at the cut .

Langer is the first player to win the Senior Players Championship, one of the major tournaments on the Champions Tour, three times in a row (2014 to 2016).

On November 13, 2016, he won the Charles Schwab Cup for the fourth time and for the third time in a row.

With his victory at the Senior PGA Championship on May 28, 2017, he became the first golfer in history to win all five senior majors at least once. It was also his 9th senior major title, which he also set a new record. With the victory at the British Seniors Open in Wales in July 2017, he increased the record to ten wins.

organizer

After winning the Masters in 1985, Langer envisioned a German Masters based on the American model. After the contract between Langer, the International Management Group (IMG) and the Stuttgart Golf Club Solitude eV had been signed, the first German Masters took place in Stuttgart in 1987 and in the following years until 1991 as the Mercedes German Masters. This tournament later took place on different courses (including Berlin Golf & Country Club Motzener See eV from 1994 to 1997, Golf Club Gut Lärchenhof as Linde German Masters from 1998 to 2006) in Germany, with Langer acting as the organizer. From 2007 to 2009 the tournament was called the Mercedes-Benz Championship and was held according to the “winners only” principle on the Gut Lärchenhof golf course in Pulheim near Cologne, designed by Jack Nicklaus . With four titles, Langer is the record winner of the tournament himself.

Langer Sport Marketing GmbH, founded in 1990 and largely managed by Bernhard's brother Erwin, also looks after the Mercedes-Benz Championship as well as other professional tournaments, as well as smaller events in the youth sector and company events.

Ryder Cup

Langer suffered one of his greatest athletic defeats in 1991 at the Ryder Cup on Kiawah Island in South Carolina. A promising put from 1.5 meters failed, and the victory for Europe, which was believed to be certain, was ultimately lost. American fans celebrating exuberantly showed grossly unsporting behavior and mocked the underdogs. Such derailments also occurred in the following years. After ten mostly successful Ryder Cup appearances as a player, he led the European team as captain in the Ryder Cup 2004 in Bloomfield Hills ( USA ) to the historic 18.5: 9.5 victory over the USA. Alongside Nick Faldo, Langer is one of the most successful European players in the Ryder Cup, both in terms of his stakes and points.

Together with his brother Erwin Langer, he tried to bring the Ryder Cup to Germany for the first time in 2018. However, the orientation was awarded to France.

Awards

Private

In his childhood the son of a bricklayer went to mass every day and he still reads the Bible every day. He grew up in modest circumstances. In order to earn some extra pocket money, he carried the bags of the rich players as a caddy on the golf course in the neighborhood. During this time he was given his first used golf club as a gift and enjoyed the game, which was very strange for Germans at the time. Against the advice of his parents, he began an apprenticeship as a golf instructor in 1972. Langer has been married to the American Vikki Carol since 1984. The couple have four children: Jackie, Stefan, Christina and Jason. The family lives in Boca Raton in Florida and in Langer's birthplace Anhausen. Another retreat for the family is in the northwestern United States, in Snoqualmie near Seattle.

In 2003 he founded the Bernhard Langer Foundation, based in Anhausen (Diedorf) , which supports people in need.

Bernhard and Stefan Langer won twice (2005 and 2006) at the Father / Son Challenge , an annual tournament for golfers on the PGA and Champions Tour and their sons or daughters. In 2013, Bernhard Langer competed with his daughter Christina and finished ninth among twenty teams with her. In 2014 and 2019, Langer won the tournament again, this time with his son Jason.

Bernhard Langer is a member of the board of trustees of the evangelical association ProChrist , which is closely related to the YMCA and organizes mass evangelization events. He also supports the Christian sports organization Sportler calls Sportler (SRS) .

In the spring of 2017, US President Donald Trump described Bernhard Langer as a good friend who allegedly confirmed that he had manipulated the election in 2016, as Langer said that many were not allowed to vote. Langer then made it clear that he was not familiar with Trump and that he was excluded from US elections because he did not have an American passport.

Langer is considered an ascetic as well as a precision and concentration miracle with great determination and describes himself as a perfectionist. It is said that he has a very good memory and has saved the 18 holes of hundreds of golf courses in terms of soil conditions, the required speed depending on the weather conditions and the optimal path. He subordinates many things to his sport and success; Healthy nutrition is important to him and he completely refrains from consuming alcohol. Jogging, yoga and stretching account for up to two hours of daily training. His nickname in the golfer scene is Mr. Consistency - The Consistent.

successes

In addition to his two Masters victories in 1985 and 1993, Langer has achieved numerous victories worldwide. In May 2016, he won his 100th international tournament with Regions Tradition, a major tournament on the Champions Tour.

On May 28, 2017, he became the first golfer ever to win all 5 Senior Major tournaments at least once with the Senior PGA Championship. This was also his 9th major victory on the senior tour, which he replaced the legendary Jack Nicklaus as the record holder for senior major victories.

He topped the money list for nine out of ten years on the senior tour, with only one thumb injury throwing him back.

Major wins (2)

year competition 72 holes Win score head Start Runner-up
1985 The Masters 2 strokes of leadership -6 (72-74-68-68 = 282) 2 strokes SpainSpain Seve Ballesteros , Raymond Floyd , Curtis StrangeUnited StatesUnited States United StatesUnited States
1993 The Masters 4 strokes of leadership -11 (68-70-69-70 = 277) 4 strokes United StatesUnited States Chip Beck

Major tournaments

competition 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
The Masters DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP CUT DNP T31 1 T16 T7 T9 T26 T7
US Open DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP CUT DNP DNP CUT T8 T4 CUT T59 T7
The Open Championship CUT DNP CUT DNP T51 2 T13 T56 T2 T3 T3 T17 69 80 T48
PGA Championship DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP T32 CUT T21 CUT T61 CUT
competition 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
The Masters T32 T31 1 T25 T31 T36 T7 T39 T11 T28 T6 T32 CUT T4 T20
US Open CUT T23 CUT T23 T36 DQ CUT CUT DNP CUT T40 T35 T42 DNP T33
The Open Championship T9 T59 3 T60 T24 WD T38 CUT T18 T11 T3 T28 CUT DNP T5
PGA Championship CUT T40 CUT T25 DNP 76 T23 DNP T61 T46 CUT T23 T57 T66 T47
competition 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
The Masters CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT DNP CUT T25 T8 CUT T24 CUT T38 T62
US Open DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
The Open Championship CUT DNP DNP DNP DNP CUT DNP DNP DNP T78 DNP DNP T24 DNP
PGA Championship CUT DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP

DNP = did not participate (Engl. Did not play )
WD = abandoned (Engl. Withdrawn )
CUT = Cut failed
"T" divided placement (Engl. Tie )
Green background for wins
Yellow background for top 10

Senior Major Victories (11)

year competition 54 holes Win score head Start Runner-up
2010 The Senior Open Championship 3 strokes of leadership -5 (67-71-69-72 = 279) 1 hit United StatesUnited States Corey Pavin
2010 US Senior Open shared leadership −8 (69−68−68−67 = 272) 3 strokes United StatesUnited States Fred Couples
2014 Senior Players Championship 3 strokes of leadership -15 (65-64-66-70 = 265) Playoff United StatesUnited States Jeff Sluman
2014 The Senior Open Championship 8 strokes of leadership -18 (65-66-68-67 = 266) 13 strokes ScotlandScotland Colin Montgomerie
2015 Senior Players Championship 8 strokes of leadership -19 (65-65-67-68 = 265) 6 strokes United StatesUnited States Kirk triplet
2016 Regional tradition 6 strokes of leadership -17 (66-69-69-67 = 271) 6 strokes United StatesUnited States Olin Brown
2016 Senior Players Championship 3 strokes of leadership 1 (71-68-69-73 = 281) 1 hit SpainSpain Miguel Ángel Jiménez Joe DurantUnited StatesUnited States
2017 Regional tradition 2 strokes behind -20 (69-69-66-64 = 268) 5 strokes United StatesUnited States Scott McCarron Scott ParelUnited StatesUnited States
2017 Senior PGA Championship 1 stroke backlog -18 (65-67-70-68 = 270) 1 hit FijiFiji Vijay Singh
2017 The Senior Open Championship 4 strokes of leadership −4 (69-74-65-72 = 280) 3 strokes United StatesUnited States Corey Pavin
2019 The Senior Open Championship 3 strokes behind −6 (71-67-70-66 = 274) 2 strokes EnglandEngland Paul Broadhurst

Senior major tournaments

Tournament 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
The tradition DNP T7 T17 T10 DNP T2 T10 T9 T5 1 1 11 T6
Senior PGA Championship DNP 2 T17 T23 DNP T4 T13 T3 6th T3 1 DNP T12
Senior Players Championship T13 T7 T5 T9 DNP DNP 8th 1 1 1 T18 T16 T34
US Senior Open DNP T6 T22 1 T9 T2 T14 T9 T3 T11 T2 T17 T24
The Senior Open Championship DNP 4th 4th 1 T12 T6 2 1 2 T9 1 2 1

DNP = did not participate (Engl. Did not play )
WD = abandoned (Engl. Withdrawn )
CUT = Cut failed
"T" divided placement (Engl. Tie )
Green background for wins
Yellow background for top 10

literature

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g Weser Strand - der Sonntag, Der ewige Perfektionist, p. 3, edition of August 27, 2017
  2. ↑ Der Spiegel , Issue 17/1985 of April 22, 1985, p. 176
  3. ↑ Award from Queen Elizabeth II for Bernhard Langer ( Memento from February 14, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Award from Queen Elizabeth II for Bernhard Langer
  4. ^ Bernhard Langer official homepage. In: Bernhard Langer's official homepage. Retrieved July 17, 2016 .
  5. ↑ Bavarian Order of Merit for Bernhard Langer. July 17, 2013, accessed July 17, 2016 .
  6. ^ Announcement 17 07 2016. In: www.hall-of-fame-sport.de. Retrieved July 17, 2016 .
  7. ↑ Langer receives Payne Stewart Award , golf.de, news from August 20, 2018.
  8. ↑ a b c Weser Strand - der Sonntag, Der Ewige Perfektionist, p. 3, edition of August 27, 2017
  9. ↑ Portrait: Golfen für Gott , idea.de, article from August 16, 2018.
  10. ^ Website of the Father / Son Challenge
  11. ^ Kuratorium ProChrist eV
personal data
SURNAME Langer, Bernhard
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German golfer
DATE OF BIRTH August 27, 1957
PLACE OF BIRTH Anhausen