Three years ago, we witnessed one of the most dominant displays in Senior Major Championship history, as European Senior Tour legend Bernhard Langer secured his second Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex title by a mammoth 13 strokes.
Next year, we return to Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, the site of Langer’s historic victory, for the 31st edition of the Senior Open.
The 59 year old continues to defy all expectations, and remains one of the golfers to beat on the over-50s circuit.
Winner of The Masters Tournament in 1985 and 1993, Langer wasted no time in adding a Senior Major to his already bulging trophy cabinet.
Consecutive fourth-placed finishes in 2008 and 2009 were followed by his first Senior Open victory on the Scottish links of Carnoustie. His winning margin then was just one stroke from American Corey Pavin.
Four years later, no one could have predicted his margin of victory, the likes of which hadn’t been seen at a Major Championship in over a decade. Title rival Colin Montgomerie described Langer’s win as ‘one of the great golfing performances’.
Langer led by two strokes after the first round, and the gap widened as play continued in glorious conditions on the Welsh coast.
He reached an 18 under par total, and his 13 stroke winning margin sits joint-second in all Major victories behind Tiger Woods’ 15-stroke winning margin at the 2000 US Open.
At the age of 24, when Langer topped the European Tour Order of Merit in 1981, his stroke average was 70.57. This improved to 69.42 when he became European Number One again in 1984.
In 2016, the 59 year old’s stroke average was an incredible 68.44 and over the past five seasons his average has been lower than 69 strokes.
For the third year running, he led the PGA TOUR Champions circuit on greens in regulation at 78.19%. Simply put, there aren’t enough superlatives to describe Langer’s age-defying form. It has to be seen to be believed.
Langer will be just one of a number of stars descending upon Royal Porthcawl for next year’s Senior Open Championship.
Clickhereto purchase tickets and secure your spot at the Welsh links next July.
