Langer to take place amongst the games legends

Bernhard Langer will end this year without a victory he can call his own, yet it might be one of the most satisfying seasons of his career.

At age 45, he played in the Ryder Cup for the 10th time and was sensational in a partnership with Colin Montgomerie. They never trailed in winning their three matches, and Langer never trailed in his singles victory over Hal Sutton.

In a fitting end to the European Tour season, Langer and Montgomerie agreed to share the title at the Volvo Masters when darkness covered Valderrama after two playoff holes failed to determine a winner.

The next treat comes Friday night when Langer is inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, taking his place among the best who ever played.

The recognition is overdue for Langer, one of golf's classiest characters.

Nick Faldo is considered the best European in the modern era because he won six major championships and more Ryder Cup points than anyone on his side of the Atlantic.

Seve Ballesteros galvanized golf in continental Europe with flair and creative shotmaking that carried him to five majors.

Langer doesn't get any style points.

The German's legacy is building Hall-of-Fame credentials by squeezing everything out of the game, the master of detail who never left anything to chance.

Most of the attention at the induction ceremony will be on another two-time Masters champion, Ben Crenshaw, and his swing coach, Harvey Penick. The other inductees are former U.S. Open champion Tommy Bolt, U.S. and British Open champion Tony Jacklin and LPGA founder Marlene Hagge.

None of them played at such a high level for such a long time as Langer.

``The guy is 45 and still plays to the highest level, and that's a magnificent achievement,'' Thomas Bjorn said. ``Golfers don't come any more professional than Bernhard.''

Langer went 16 consecutive seasons on the European Tour with at least one victory, and twice won the Order of Merit.

Wanting to prove himself among the best in the world, he played a full PGA Tour schedule for the first time in 1985 and won twice, including his first Masters. He won a second green jacket after recovering from the yips, the most wicked disease in golf.

The one knock on Langer is slow play, although that, too, is the essence of the man. His entire career has been built around getting the most out of less raw talent, which required him to study even the smallest details.

One of the more famous stories was from the 1991 Ryder Cup at Kiawah Island when Langer was paired with Montgomerie. He asked Montgomerie to step off the yardage from a sprinkler to the front of the green.

Nineteen paces.

``Was that from the front of the sprinkler or the back of the sprinkler?'' Langer asked.

``That just shows how methodical he was,'' said Howard Clark, a former Ryder Cup teammate who now works for Sky Sports in Britain.

``He covered every possible aspect. He works his caddie hard. Pete Coleman used to carry 20 clubs during a practice round because Bernhard wasn't sure whether a certain iron would fit that particular course.''

As a 9-year-old caddie, Langer was called ``Eagle Eye'' by the other boys because he never lost a ball, even in rough up to his thighs. He would pick the spot where it landed and walk a straight line, taking careful steps until he found the ball or stepped on it.

That's where Langer got his start in golf, earning under $1 for each loop on the 9-hole course just 5 miles from his house, one of only 80 courses in Germany at the time.

``I got hooked,'' Langer said. ``Golf seemed like a challenge to me.''

He turned professional at age 15, spent three years as a club assistant and began his tour career at 18.

Nothing came easily -- or quickly.

``There are very few who go like Tiger Woods, where you play one or two years and you're No. 1 in the world,'' Langer said. ``It took me a little longer.''

Unlike the other European stars from his era, Langer is still going strong.

Those aren't the only differences.

He was never aloof like Faldo. He never sulked like Ballesteros.

It's hard to imagine either of those guys offering half of a tuna sandwich to a couple of reporters who were watching with him as the decisive match in the Ryder Cup headed for a dramatic conclusion.

Always the gentleman, what followed was even more impressive.

As Europe's Ryder Cup celebration was just getting started, Langer held up a glass of champagne and eyed a packed room of journalists.

``To all of you and the huge support you give us over the years ... I'd like for the team to stand up and have a toast to the press,'' he said.

Back at you, Bernhard.

Email this page to a friend | Return to top of page