Seniors is only route left open to Langer

BERNHARD LANGER attributed a creditable even-par 71 which saw him finish one-under for the tournament down to playing every Open as if it were his last – mainly because it could be.

Considering there are so many spots littered through the draw each year for former winners up until their 60th birthday, it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking Langer, below, is one of them.

However, he never improved on his runner-up spot at Royal St George’s in 1981 and he is 61 next month, so must get here on merit if he wants to add to his 31 Opens.

This week’s performance will certainly have whetted his appetite, but if he wants to play next year it is Thursday at St Andrews that matters – the start of the Senior Open. Winning that competition last year booked his place at Carnoustie, and these days it is his only serious route back.

“Just as I holed my last putt, I was thinking, ‘This could be my last Open’,” the German admitted. “You just don’t know at my age.

“The only way for me to get here is through the Senior Open because I’m not going to go through the qualifying stuff that I tried a few times when I was younger. I’m not going to do that any more.

“It could be my last one unless I win the Senior Open. But if I do win the Senior Open, I’ll definitely be back, wherever that is.”

In the meantime is a few days of rather intensive recovery.

“My body’s creaking right now,” Langer said. “Time to put the feet up instead of putting the weight on them. Every day there’s something – you just feel it. I’m not 20 or 30. Those days I could have played 36 holes a day, no problem. “I have got some good people here, with the physios and all that to help me with stretching and massaging. So I have all the help I need.”