Langer’s manner, game in right place
BOCA RATON — Bernhard Langer has been the dominant player on the PGA Tour Champions, winning 25 times and earning nearly $18 million, since he turned 50 in August of 2007.
Age can’t seem to slow the 58-year-old native of Germany, who has lived in Boca Raton for 30 years, looks as fit and healthy as ever, still hits the ball great and remains super competitive.
Last year he became the first three-time winner of the Charles Schwab Cup and had two wins, five seconds and 13 top-10s in 19 events to earn his fifth Player of the Year award.
When Langer tees off at 11:15 a.m. today inthe Allianz Championship at the Old Course at Broken Sound, the only question about his game is his putting.
On Jan. 1 the USGA’s noan choring ban took effect, so Langer, whohas arguably been the best ever with an anchored putter, has been experimenting with several techniques.
“I’ve been practicing a lot with different styles, different putters, different grips,” he said. “Mostly three grips: the regular one and then putting the shaft against the forearm, which I did for seven years in the ’90s, and the long one not anchored.
“Then I’ll see in a few weeks which one feels the most comfortable, what seems to be the best. Right nowit looks like I might still go with the long putter that I did [in the season-opener twoweeks ago] in Hawaii. It feels fairly comfortable to me and it’s probably the way to go in the short run. What I do in the long run, I don’t knowat this point.”
As for the rest of his game, Langer said he’s “pretty close” to where he wants to be.
He finished tied for eighth in Hawaii, six shots behind winner Duffy Waldorf, because of what he termed “a few silly bogeys that I like to think I shouldn’t make on a regular basis.”
He’ll have to do better here at the Old Course, where he won in sensational style in a playoff in 2010 when he holed a bunker shot for eagle on the par-518th hole.
“This particular golf course, you have to hit a lot of greens,” Langer said. “There can be some very tough up-and-downs here because of the way the golf course is designed.”
Playing smart is one of Langer’s strengths. Allianz defending champ Paul Goydos said he’s impressed by “the condition of his mind and how he approaches the game.”
Langer joked that the tour’s statistics “don’t rate mental strength,” but he does look at howhe ranks in the other categories and works on his weaknesses.
In 2015 he led the seniors in money won ($2.34 million), ball striking, greens in regulation percentage (75.68), scoring average (68.69) and putting average (1.72) and was second in total driving and sand save percentage (59.68).
“I believe my technique has improved over the years. I think I drive the ball straighter and probably farther than I did when I was younger,” Langer said.
Honda entries: Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia and Adam Scott are the latest PGA Tour stars who have committed to play in the Honda Classic on Feb. 25-28 at PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens. The field includes Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka, defending champion Padraig Harrington, 2015 runner-up Daniel Berger, Jason Dufner, Davis Love III and Vijay Singh.