It is a measure of a sportsman’s achievements during his career that a mere mention of his name can instantly conjure in one’s mind the attributes and special moments that made him a success. Bernhard Langer, who turned 50 on Monday, is undoubtedly one such person.
As one the big five who, despite hailing from a country where golf is not the main national sport, went on to make a huge impact on European golf and blaze a trail of glory during the 1980s, Langer’s story is similar to that of his great rivals and fellow Major Champions – Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam.
George O'Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, said: "Bernhard was not only such an outstanding player and one of a small but distinguished group of Major Champions. He was a leader in the growth and development of The European Tour and also a superb and successful Ryder Cup player and Captain.
“Everyone at the Tour wishes him a very happy 50th birthday and many more successes on and off the fairways."
Like Ballesteros, Faldo, Lyle and Woosnam, here was another man whose natural talent, desire and inner resolve took him from humble beginnings and his small home-town of Anhausen, near Augsburg in Bavaria, Germany, to becoming a world-beater – and how.
Consistency, brilliance, resilience, self-belief, triumph over adversity, inspiration – Langer has embodied all such traits over his 31 years competing as a professional across the globe.
Consistency – Langer has played in 435 European Tour events and made the cut in 383 of them, with 172 of those finishing inside the top ten, the most recent coming only yesterday with his joint third place at the the KLM Open at Kennemer Golf and Country Club, earning €12,478,958 in European Tour Official Career Earnings in the process.
Brilliance – He has a staggering 66 worldwide victories, including 42 European Tour wins, two Masters Tournaments (1985-1993) at Augusta National, two World Cups (1990-2006), a victory in every European Tour season from 1980-1995, plus ten Ryder Cup appearances and 24 points from 42 matches, to his name.
Resilience and self-belief – Unfairly, many people judge Langer on the six foot par putt that slid agonisingly wide of the 18th hole in the 1991 Ryder Cup at Kiawah Island, a putt that would have ensured a crucial singles victory over Hale Irwin and Europe’s retention of the trophy, only for the Americans to eventually emerge victors by a point. With the intense media scrutiny and ‘choke’ jibes that went with it, lesser men may well have buckled under such a relentless, critical spotlight, yet Langer went out and won the very next European Tour event, claiming the Mercedes German Masters after beating Australia’s Rodger Davis in a play-off.
Triumph over adversity – Having been afflicted with the putting ‘yips’ more than once, Langer’s work-ethic and resolve to find a solution saw him successfully use a variety of grips and putters to maintain his stature as one of the world’s best, as was recognised by his induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2002.
Inspiration – As Europe’s Ryder Cup Captain in 2004, Langer’s organisational skills and tactical nous oversaw a record-setting 18 ½ points to nine ½ points victory over counterpart Hal Sutton’s American team at Oakland Hills in Michigan. He was duly rewarded with an Honorary OBE.
He has also influenced his fellow countrymen, Alex Cjeka, Marcel Siem and Sven Struver into pursuing professional golf as a career, and established his own tournament, the German Masters now the Mercedes-Benz Championship, on the Tour schedule to further help golf develop in Germany.
They are all eminent moments and accolades from a glittering career and, having reached one of life’s milestones by turning 50, Langer took time out to reflect on a remarkable life and his great memories.
He said: “The highlights were firstly my two Masters victories. Becoming a Major Champion is what you dream about achieving. Also very special was my first professional win, the World Under-25 Championship in 1979. I won by 17 shots, which I think is still a record. That was the first time I felt I could really compete at the highest level.
“Then, 1980 was my big breakthrough on The European Tour when I won my first official tournament, the Dunlop Masters. That was key. Another key was winning my first German Open. No German had ever won it before so for me that was very important.”
Langer continued: “Winning the Order of Merit was another big step in 1981, and then in 1984. That proved to me that I am not just one of the guys, but one of the best on The European Tour. And if you are one of the best in Europe you can be one of the best anywhere.”
So it proved, as, in 1985, Langer held off the challenge of Ballesteros, American’s Ray Floyd and Curtis Strange, to win his first Green Jacket by two shots and become the first German Major winner. Some eight years later, in 1993, he recovered from the ‘yips’ once more to register another Augusta National triumph, beating America’s Chip Beck by four shots.
Yet it is not just in solo golf that Langer has excelled. His World Cup – he won it first with Torsten Gideon, and then with Siem, 16 years apart – and Ryder Cup experiences, also define him as valuable team player.
“I have played ten Ryder Cups and been on the winning Ryder Cup team five times. I was the winning Captain a few years ago. I won the World Cup twice with a partner, and once as an individual. They are the ones which stand out,” he recalled.
The run up to his 50th birthday was made all the more special by the fact his eldest son Stefan, 17, also competed at The KLM Dutch Open as an amateur. “It was a wonderful thing and great experience to be in the same field together,” he said, as memories of his own European Tour debut as a teaching professional in 1974 at the Swiss Open, came to the fore in his mind.
Emanating from that fledgling debut, Langer’s golf journey has been rich and varied, but one the deeply religious Christian is content with.
“Coming from Germany where golf was nothing at the time I grew up, I am very happy with the way things have turned out. Looking back over the last 33 years, I have had lots of ups and downs, but a lot more ups than downs. I would do it pretty much all over again.”
It has been a privilege to witness it all happen just the once, Bernhard. Happy 50th birthday.
BERNHARD LANGER’S EUROPEAN TOUR HISTORY
• Born 27th August, 1957, Anhausen, Germany.
• His first appearance on The European Tour was the 1974 Swiss Open.
• Turned professional in 1972 and joined The European Tour in 1976.
• His first top ten finish came in the 1976 Madrid Open, tying for fifth place. He finished his first season in 90th place in The European Tour Order of Merit.
• Became the first German to win a European Tour event with victory in the 1980 Dunlop Masters.
• In 1981 won the first of his five German Opens’ en-route to claiming the European Tour Order of Merit for the first time, when he became the first player to win The European Tour Order of Merit with earnings over €100,000. Won The European Tour Order of Merit for a second time in 1984.
• Became the first German to win a Major Championship, defeating Seve Ballesteros, Raymond Floyd and Curtis Strange by two shots to capture the 1985 Masters Tournament. Gained a second Green Jacket in 1993.
• Winner of 42 European Tour International Schedule events between 1980 and 2002.(The 2002 Volvo Masters being his latest). His gap between first and latest victories of 22 years and 37 days, is the second longest in European Tour history.
• His 42 wins puts him second in the all-time list of most European Tour Official Career victories.
• Finished inside the top ten of The European Tour Order of Merit a record-equalling 16 times – a record he shares with Ballesteros.
• Won at least one European Tour title each year for 16 consecutive years between 1980 and 1995.
• Played in 435 European Tour events and made the cut in 383 of them, with 172 of those finishing inside the top ten.
• Has won €12,478,958 in European Tour Official Career Earnings.
• Twice a winner of the World Cup. Firstly in 1990 with Torsten Giedeon and again in 2006 with Marcel Siem. Was the individual winner in 1993.
• Played on ten European Ryder Cup Teams between 1981 and 2002, being on the winning side on five occasions.
• Played in 42 Ryder Cup matches, winning 21 and gaining an overall total of 24 points.
• Captained The 2004 European Ryder Cup Team to a record 18½ - 9½ victory over the United States at Oakland Hills Country Club.
• Represented Germany in the World Cup 12 times and the Alfred Dunhill Cup three times.
• Won 66 times in his career worldwide, dating back to 1975. Has won tournaments in Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia and Australasia.
• Was named European Tour Golfer of the Year in 1985 and 1993 and accorded Honorary Membership of The European Tour in 1985. Was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2002 and awarded an Honorary OBE in 2006.
• The 2007 KLM Open represents the first time his son Stefan will play in the same European Tour event as Bernhard, making the Langers only the third father/son combination to play in the same European Tour event. They follow Antonio/Ignacio Garrido and Craig/Kevin Stadler.
