Langer equals Nicklaus’ tally of eight wins in senior majors

Bernhard Langer shows no signs whatsoever of letting up after matching Jack Nicklaus’ record of eight wins in Senior majors. The 59-year-old achieved the feat by defending the Ragions Tradition title with a five-stroke victory in Birmingham, Alabama.

Langer had started the final round two strokes behind leader Fred Funk but stormed to the top of the leaderboard on the back of a brilliant 64. He finished with a 20-under-par 268 total.

“Not many people can say they match Jack Nicklaus in anything, so that’s pretty neat,” said Langer. “To have won as many majors on this Tour as he has is outstanding.” the German has now won 31 times on the Champions Tour and this is the sixth straight year he has eclipsed $1 million in winnings.

Elsewhere, Billy Horschel claimed his fourth PGA Tour title by winning the AT&T Byron Nelson after gettingthe better of Jason Day in a playoff. After both men finished locked on 12 under they had to play an extra hole and Horschel was victorious after Day missed a four-foot putt for par on the 18th. It is first tournament win since 2014 and stops a rot after missing the cut at his previous four events.

Horschel began the day a shot behind overnight leader John Hahn and battled through a tough round, carding a one-under-par 69, which included a mammoth 60-foot putt for birdie on the 14th.

Meanwhile, American Lexi Thompson secured a first win of the season by decimating her rivals at the LPGA Kingsmill Championship in Williamsburg, Virginia. The 22-year-old signed off with a a 65 as she carded a tournament record 20-under 264 total to finish five shots ahead of South Korea’s In Gee Chun.

Thompson was playing in her third event since a devastating defeat at the ANA Inspiration, when she was hit with a four-shot penalty for a rules infringement and eventually lost in a play-off in the year’s first major.

Lydia Ko held on to her world No 1 spot for the 83rd week running despite finishing 13 shots behind Thompson in joint-10th. The Kiwi could be overtaken, though, in the coming weeks as she is set to miss the LPGA Tour’s next two events in Michigan and New Jersey.