AUGUSTA, Ga. — One video. One question.
That’s all it took Monday for Bernhard Langer to start getting emotional. For tears to fill his eyes.
Langer, the long-time Boca Raton resident, is playing his final Masters this week. Number 41, which is 12th on the list led by Gary Player’s 52.
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And a self-described softie when it comes to his emotions, Langer knows he will be wiping his eyes plenty in the next week.
“I’ve cried over and over at home when things have been worth crying for or about,” Langer, 67, said. “I’m not ashamed of it. My dad was the same way and he was my hero, as well. There’s nothing wrong with it. There’s many things that are worth crying about.”
Like recalling his humble beginnings, growing up in a German village of about 800 people where “golf was nothing” and falling in love with the game in which he had “no role model” and no one to compare himself with.
“I was just the one starting something that nobody has ever done before in Germany,” he said.
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Now this.
Trips down Magnolia Lane will be sentimental
Apr 6, 2025; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Masters champion Bernhard Langer waves to patrons during the Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Katie Goodale-Imagn Images
Expect Langer to reach for the tissues driving down Magnolia Lane this week, especially if he knows it will be the last, perhaps Friday or even Sunday with some luck.
Because his first remembrance of Augusta National is that first trip down Magnolia Lane, in 1982.
“Seeing this place was an eye-opener for me,” Langer said. “I had never seen a golf course manicured like this.”
Langer thought this emotional journey was going to end one year ago after he had planned to make the 2024 Masters his final one.
But then life got in the way.
Langer had a new hobby, but soon found out pickleball was much more dangerous than golf. Two months before the 2024 Masters, Langer tore his Achilles playing pickleball at Woodfield Country Club in Boca Raton.
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While the injury would permanently end the golf career of most 60-somethings, Langer was back on the PGA Tour Champions in three months and one week later had a top 10 at the Regions Tradition.
The only logical decision for the 1985 and 1993 Masters champion was delaying his final Masters one year, to this week.
“It’s very emotional,” Langer said. “You can tell already my voice is breaking a bit just realizing it’s going to be my last competitive Masters. After four decades, it’s going to be bittersweet.”
Langer was not sure how this ending would be written until a few years ago when he asked the chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club if there is a time limit to how long former champions can play.
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“Do we age out when we’re 60?” Langer said.
He was told: “No, you will know when it’s time to quit.”
It’s time.
Langer on Augusta National: ‘I’m just not competitive on this course anymore’
And if he thought it wasn’t, he was quickly reminded playing the course Sunday and on the very first hole.
Langer hit a 3-hybrid into the first green and the ball hit the middle of the green and took off over the green.
“I’m hitting hybrids where the other kids are hitting 9-irons and 8-irons, maybe even wedges,” he said. “I’m just not competitive on this course anymore. We’re playing, what, 7,500-plus yards, and I’m used to playing courses around 7,100. I can still compete there but not at this distance.
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“It’s time to quit.”
Apr 6, 2023; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Bernhard Langer walks off the 13th green during the first round of The Masters golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Network
Langer’s won three times on the PGA Tour but has 42 victories on the European Tour (second all-time) and leads the all-time list with 47 PGA Tour Champions titles.
He finished in the top 10 at the Masters nine times and 10 of his 12 missed cuts have come in his last 16 starts. He is sixth with a 72.84 scoring average for those who have played at least 100 Masters rounds.
Langer’s success on the 50-and-older circuit well into his 60s has been one of golf’s best stories in recent years.
“He’s reinvented himself multiple times during his career, which is really amazing to be able to do,” said Andy North, the ESPN analyst and two-time major champion.
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“He’s gone through the putting yips, basically, four or five times and has come out the other side a better putter than he’s ever been before. To do the things he’s done at 65, 66, 67 is astounding, absolutely astounding.”
Langer’s equipment sponsor, Tour Edge, created a commemorative staff bag and headcovers for his final Masters start. His son, Jason, will carry his bag.
Bernhard and Jason have teamed to win the last two PNC Championships, giving them four together. Bernhard has won a record six overall.
And with a large contingent of family and friends on hand for the curtain call on his Masters career, Langer will have a difficult time keeping those emotions in check.
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“I’m pretty good compartmentalizing, so when I’m inside the ropes, my mind switches to being a competitor, play golf and take care of the task in front of me,” he said. “But I might get a bit emotional looking around at the spectators, seeing my family, my kids, my grandkids, my brother and other friends supporting me this week.”
Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at [email protected].
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This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Bernhard Langer playing his final Masters this week at Augusta National
