Bernhard Langer wins 3rd Senior British Open title

BRIDGEND, Wales Bernhard Langer won the Senior British Open on Sunday in rain and wind at Royal Porthcawl for his record-extending 10th senior major title and fifth in the last 10.

Fighting a sore throat all week in the difficult weather conditions, the 59-year-old German star closed with an even-par 72 to finish at 4-under 280 and beat American Corey Pavin by three strokes.

“Wasn’'t 100 per cent,” Langer said. “Makes it even more meaningful.”

Langer joined Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win three senior majors in a season, and won the event for the third time to match the tournament record.

“It’s pretty neat to do something that nobody else has done before,” Langer said. “Like winning 10 senior majors, it’s not easily done. There’s a lot of competition out there. Very blessed and honoured to have achieved that. Maybe there’s one or two more in the future, who knows? But right now, I’m just going to enjoy the fruit of the labour, and to have won three majors in one season is pretty spectacular, and it actually could have been four if I didn't mess up two weeks ago (in the Senior Players Championship).”

Langer won the Regions Tradition and Senior PGA Championship, the first two of the PGA Champions Tour’s five majors, in consecutive weeks in May. He finished second behind Scott McCarron in the Senior Players Championship, losing the lead with a double bogey on the 71st hole.

Nicklaus won three of the thenfour majors in 1991.

Langer also won in 2010 at Carnoustie and took the 2014 event at Royal Porthcawl by 13 strokes. Tom Watson and Gary Player are the only other three-time winners, with Player’s titles coming before the event was a major or part of the PGA Champions Tour.