Bernhard Langer, the legend who has not yet said goodbye to the Masters: “I don’t blame those who go to LIV for the millions”

Updated Friday, April 12, 2024 – 22:11

Last Tuesday, Severiano Ballesteros would have turned 67 years old, the same years he will turn Bernhard Langer. An extraordinary case of competitive longevity for no explainable reason. Is he ‘Benjamin Button’ of golf, one of those sought-after cards that should have said goodbye to Augusta Masters in this 2024.

This is what the winner had decided two green jacketsbut a crash in the month of February has given him a final and unexpected test: the torn achilles tendon. left behind 123 wins46 of them after 50. Talking to Langer is a little like talking to Seve and EL MUNDO has done it exclusively since Augusta National. An injury like this would retire anyone, but not the German, who although he does not play, has not wanted to miss this Masters. Never give up.

How are you doing right now? After I got injured, I started rehabilitation just three days after surgery. In two months I could bear weight and walk and for the last 10 days I have been practicing golf. He should return to the most competitive level in the next four or eight weeks. You haven’t been able to say goodbye to this very special tournament, but here you are? Yes, I just can’t play. I was at the champions dinner and I will be on and off the golf course all week, but I will not participate as a player. There are more than 40 years competing in The Masters, am I putting you in a bind if I ask you to keep the best moment? It’s a tough question, but I’d probably have to say the two wins I’ve had. In the first one I remember my wife asking me on the 18th hole and telling me that we could now have children. In fact, the first was in 1985 and we had our first child in 1986. The second for me was also very special for several reasons: It was Easter Sunday and I am a believer. It is the resurrection of Jesus that we celebrate. So it was very personal for me and it meant a lot to win the tournament that day. It was also special for having a four-stroke lead at 17 and 18 and knowing that I had won the tournament. I was able to enjoy walking until the 18th, with the great ovation and the whole atmosphere without having to concentrate yet. So in the end he will postpone his retirement until 2025? Yes, that is my goal. I was planning on this being my last year, but with my injury that’s not going to happen. I hope that next year will be my farewell tournament here as a player and that it will be very emotional. It will probably be difficult, but I will have a lot of support and a lot of good memories: My first tournament was in 1981, I think 1982 was my first Masters, so in 2025 it will be 43 years.

Seve’s gesture at the 1985 Masters

You competed a lot with Seve, what memory do you have? Of course, we have had many fantastic memories together. We were competing against each other, but we also played many times on Ryder Cup teams. We were the same age and similar backgrounds. He was a caddy just like me. We both came from a poor family and worked hard to get here, nothing was given to us, we had to earn it. I have a very nice memory from 1985 (Augusta Masters that he won). We were in the penultimate game playing together and in the last one, the Americans Curtis Strange y Raymond Floyd. The tournament was decided between the four of them. I birdied the 17th and as we walked from the board to the tee on the 18th, Seve put his arm around my shoulder and said, “Okay, the tournament is yours, you deserve to win this. Go for it.” It was a very nice gesture, he had lost the tournament. I think he realized that he wasn’t going to win and he would rather me win than the Americans. That was something he also did on the first tee. We shook hands, wished each other good luck, and he told me, “Let’s make sure the winner comes out of this match,” meaning him or me.

Langer, in Augusta.Augusta National

How do you evaluate the decision of great players like Jon Rahm to leave LIV Golf and abandon the PGA Tour? It is a difficult situation for golf and the PGA Tour. I guess I can’t really blame anyone for leaving when they’re offered so much money. We are professional athletes, we do this for a living. We don’t do it just for fun. I don’t blame players who leave because they are offered hundreds of millions of dollars. I’m not sure all of this is good for the game. But we will find out what will happen in the future. I just hope that the PGA Tour, the European tour and LIV Golf somehow come to an agreement and work together to have more tournaments where the best players compete against each other. Ultimately, I think that’s what people would like to see. At the height of your career, would you have gone to LIV if they had put the money on the table? It’s a hypothetical question. I remember that 25-30 years ago there was talk of a world circuit. I was at the top of my career and was one of those they were very interested in. There were many discussions about how to do it and it was similar to what we experience today. The idea was for the 50 or 70 best players in the world to get together and play 15 or 20 tournaments around the world. It sounded very attractive, but the money was nowhere near as big as what LIV is currently offering. The PGA Tour was against the European tour and so they came up with the idea of ​​doing world championship events. That ended up ruining the idea. Returning to the Masters, just a curiosity: You have your locker in the champions’ locker room, but do you share it with anyone? Well, there was another one, he has another name, but he passed away. So now it’s just my locker. That’s fine, but with the new winners that will be in the coming years, I will have to share it. You are a legend and no one has continued winning at 66 years old, what is the secret? It’s not just one thing, there are many. It’s like a puzzle where all the pieces have to fit together. I think that first of all you have to be healthy. If you are not healthy, you will not be able to swing the club or perform as you wish. Therefore, my goal is to stay healthy and exercise to stay flexible and strong. You have to be willing to work daily to be the best you can be. You’re not going to get there by lying at home, not practicing for two or three weeks, going fishing or whatever else people usually do. You need a good support system. And finally, know that golf is not everything. Whether I lose or win, there are more important things in life. So I try to live with an eternal perspective. Because life is very long, here there are only 80 or maybe 100 years, if you are lucky, but eternity is forever. That’s why I try to focus on that and relationships. The older I get, the more I realize how important relationships between people are and I try to make that a priority. And how about your relationship with Miguel Ángel Jiménez? Miguel is fantastic. He is 60 years old and having played at a very high level for many years, he is still very competitive. He can play on the European Tour and still be that way. He loves the game and loves to compete. He is a great character and chooses to live: fast cars, a good cigar, red wine. Whatever it is, he enjoys it in a big way. And yes, we have been good friends for many years. And to finish, tell me about the best memories of him in Spain. I have many wonderful memories of Spain. It all started when I was very young, because the winters in Germany are very cold and there is snow and ice. So sometimes I went to Spain when I was 17, 18 or 19 to spend the winter, practice and play. I always liked the Spanish, the language and what they are like. So I made many friends: Gallardo, Seve, Rivero, Cañizares, Pinero and many others. In addition, I had several victories in Spain: I won in El Saler, my last victory on the European Tour was in Valderrama and then we had the Ryder Cup that we won with Seve as captain.
2024-04-12 20:11:07
#Bernhard #Langer #legend #goodbye #Masters #dont #blame #LIV #millions

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