Insider: Langer closing in on Champions Tour history
By Vartan Kupelian, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
Bernhard Langer is always looking for new challenges. It's what drives him and, as August begins, he's poised and positioned to claim a pair of Champions Tour milestones.
Langer is zeroing in on a third straight Player of the Year award and a third straight Money List title. Neither has been accomplished before.
Given the state of his game -- he's coming off back-to-back Chapions Tour major victories -- and confidence level, there's nothing to suggest he can't do it.
A month ago, there were considerable obstacles in Langer's path. One by one, he has put them to the side.
Langer, despite all his success on the Champions Tour, had an omission on his record. He hadn't yet won a senior major title. Now he has two, both achieved in a two-week period. His breakthrough came at Carnoustie in the Senior British Open. He backed it up with another watershed victory last week at the U.S. Senior Open.
Another roadblock in Langer's path toward a double hat trick was the huge early-season impact by Champions Tour rookie Fred Couples.
Langer now has surpassed Couples on the Charles Schwab Cup points list, money list and number of victories with his fourth triumph of the year at Sahalee. And he did it at Couples' expense on Couples' home turf at Sahalee where the partisan galleries made it clear who they wanted to see in the winner's circle.
It didn't matter. The unflappable German knew what he had to do and he did it in typical Langer fashion.
"He's on a roll," Tom Watson said. "He's playing good golf. He's a plodder, and he really makes sure that he's ready to play the shot, and he's thoroughly thought it out. It's good to be a plodder. It's good to not rush your shots like I do sometimes.
"And he's very good at not making critical errors. When he does make an error he has the ability with his short game to make up for it. He's got a wonderful short game."
Langer's run doesn't surprise any of his Champions Tour colleagues.
"He's played good every single week," John Cook said. "He's one of our best players, for sure. He finishes the deal. He's a Hall of Famer. Good gosh, that's pretty strong credentials, and deservedly so. He's a great champion."
Langer acknowledged the satisfaction of winning against the odds.
"Definitely, it feels that much more special when you do that, because it felt like a Ryder Cup atmosphere," Langer said. "I knew I was going to be up against that but when you pull through that and you win in difficult circumstances it just means that much more."
Langer went wire-to-wire and held off Corey Pavin at Carnoustie.
"I think it's quite amazing to win back-to-back majors because it does take a lot out of you when you're in the lead," Langer said.
"I was leading the British Senior Open last week from the beginning to the end and never relinquished the lead and this week was similar, I wasn't in the lead after Rd. 1 but in the lead after Rd. 2 and stuck in there to the very end. It's very draining and you live on adrenaline pretty much.
"I don't know what it is, but it's difficult to win back-to-back big tournaments and I've been blessed enough to do it on several occasions."
And the fact that he did it again in majors wasn't lost.
"Some pretty impressive play," Larry Mize said. "Especially coming off the victory last week, and trying to stay focused and keep your energy level and your mental state in good shape."
But that's what grinders do.
Langer's play at Sahalee was highlighted by four under-par rounds.
"That's pretty amazing," Langer said. "I wouldn't have thought I could actually do that.
"The key was I was swinging well enough to hit the ball most of the time where I was trying to land it and control my distance and my short game was extremely good all week.
I putted well, I chipped pretty good and my bunker game was good. I felt calm and I just had a good feeling, I had a lot of confidence in my game."
The three Champions Tour golfers who previously won Player of the Year honors in successive years: Jim Colbert (1995-96), Hale Irwin (1997-98) and Jay Haas (2006-07).
Back-to-back Money List winners are: Miller Barber (1981-82), Don January (1983-84), Bob Charles (1988-89), Dave Stockton (1993-94), Jim Colbert (1995-96), Hale Irwin (1997-98) and Jay Haas (2006-07).
Champions Tour Insider notes:
• It had been seven years since somebody had won back-to-back senior majors. Tom Watson did it in 2003 at the Senior British Open and JELD-WEN Tradition.
• Langer (2,390 points) leads Fred Couples by 397 on the Charles Schwab Cup points list.
• D.A. Weibring hosted four "Wounded Warriors" from the American Lake Veterans Golf Course in an exhibition during U.S. Senior Open week. The course in Pierce County is run by volunteers and provides recreation for disabled soldiers and other veterans. Jack Nicklaus is donating his design services for a second nine at the course and fundraising for construction is under way.
• Jacobsen withdrew from the U.S. Senior Open during the second round and was scheduled to undergo back surgery this week.
• John Harris, former University of Minnesota golfer and hockey player who spent the past eight seasons on the Champions Tour, has been named director of golf for the Gophers. Harris' lone Champions Tour victory came at the 2006 Commerce Bank Championship.
Champions Tour Insider Vartan Kupelian is a freelance contributor for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.
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