An era is coming to an end: Golf legend Bernhard Langer prepares to compete in the Masters Tournament one last time. 40 years after his first victory at Augusta National Golf Club
Bernhard Langer, as your final master’s appearance is coming closer, how are your emotions holding up?
It is going to be a bittersweet experience realising it’s going to be my last competitive rounds here at the Masters Tournament. At the same time, I realise the course is too long and I’m getting shorter. I have no chance to win anymore, so it’s time to say goodbye. But it will also be a special time to be there with all my family and friends to support me and to say farewell from one of my favorite events and venues.
Talking about your family and friends. So, this week obviously is very, very special. Do you stick to your usual routine during the Masters week or is it more important for you to enjoy this week with family and friends?
Hopefully I can do both. I will prepare like a normal event and get my practice rounds in, have my time and exercises. But at the same time, I want to focus on our four children that are here, the three grandkids that are going to be here and friends from Germany and all over the world that will be here to support me. I want to soak that in and enjoy it.
You’ve already played yesterday. What are your impressions of how the Augusta National is playing so far this week? And what are your goals at your final Masters?
The course was really in a fantastic shape even after the storm. They lost a lot of trees and there was a lot of damage, but the reparations were phenomenal, it looks fantastic. Unfortunately, we’re going to have lots of rain all day long and this will soak up the golf course. It will play even longer and make it that much harder, but I will give my best and see what happens.
If you make the cut this week, you will once again become the oldest golfer to do so at the Masters. Taking the record back of Fred Couples, who took it 2023. What would it mean to you to snatch the record back from your good friend? What will it take to achieve this goal?
Fred Couples and I have been rivals and friends for many years and it would be very nice to take that back from him. The record of being the oldest player to make the cut. Who knows, he might do it again in the future because he’s a great champion and has a lot of game. But there’s always that little bit of rivalry that’s going on. To achieve this, I would have to play almost perfect golf, from tee to green, and especially putt well, because I can save a lot of strokes if I make putts, and my short game needs to be spot on as well.
Many people don’t know how hard it was for European coaches to qualify for the Masters in the early 1980s. How did you first qualify?
It used to be extremely difficult for European players to be invited to the Masters. They just weren’t recognised. The only guarantee was to win the money list in Europe, which I did in 81. So, I got an invitation in 82. I got that little piece of mail from Augusta a couple of months before and was overjoyed to finally be competing at the Masters. But in the 80s, until they started the world rankings in 86, it was almost impossible for Europeans or foreigners to be included and to be playing at the Masters or US Open or other majors in America.
You did not qualify for the Masters in 1983, and then just two years later, you were a Masters champion 40 years ago in 1985. Do you consider yourself a fast learner?
Yeah, generally, I learn fairly quickly from my mistakes. When I played my first Masters, I made 11 three-putts in two rounds, which is way too much. I figured I got to study the greens more, know every detail of all the greens, where to place the second shot, so I have an easier path. I was way better in 84 and then 85 turned out to be great.
You had already become the first German to play in the Ryder Cup in 1981. In 1985, you became the first German to win a major. When did the enormity of this achievement sink in?
It took a little while, but it was certainly unlikely for a German, especially me, coming from a very small village of Anhausen near Augsburg, to become one of the best players in the world of golf. Golf was nothing in Germany at the time. Many people, when you said you’re a golfer, they thought you play mini-golf. There was just a lot of confusion. But as I had more and more success and a couple others followed in my footsteps, I think the reputation of golf was gradually changing. The game of golf is certainly much more widespread in Germany now than what it was 50 years ago.
In 1993, you won your second Masters, having held the lead for almost the whole of the weekend. Is it harder to be the leader than it is to be the chaser?
Well, I think for many, it’s easier to be the chaser. But I’ve been in many positions, either chasing or leading. And you’ve got to embrace it and make the best of it. My two wins here at the Masters were different, the first one I was chasing and the second one I was the one being chased. So very different and very opposite. But fortunately, I came out on top on both sides.
You are a two-time Masters champion. Which victory was more special for you, and why? The first one in 85 because it was your first, or the second one in 93 because you proved that you could repeat this achievement and that it was no coincidence?
That’s a tough question. They were both important for me because the first one elevates you to another level. You’re now a Major champion, introduced on the first tee as a Major champion and you’re just more of an elite group. The second one may have been more special to me in a personal way because first of all I proved to everyone that the first one wasn’t a fluke. I won my second by four shots and beat the whole field. But maybe even more importantly, I became a Christian before 1993 and I won on Easter Sunday when we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Let’s talk about your relation with your partner and the partnership with Mercedes-Benz. This goes back almost as long as your career at the Masters. Why has this partnership worked so well for so long?
Well, I think it’s quite obvious. We’re both “made in Germany” as they say. Mercedes-Benz is the best car manufacturer in the world. I was the best golfer from Germany, one of the best in the world. We have many similarities, like quality, trustworthiness, excellence, style, just a lot of things that are important values. We share the same values and we have consistency in performing at a very high level.
So Mercedes-Benz has honored you with this a customized S-Class. This is sure to be a very special and personal moment. What were your first impressions when you saw it and what makes the vehicle so special?
I was blown away, I didn’t expect anything like this. It’s unreal. You see the car right there, it’s beautiful, very special with all the Masters logos. The years I’ve won, the interiors, the green Masters lighting, even the outside is greenish, which refers to the Masters tournament. A lot of thought and a lot of details went into this car, which is so typical for Mercedes-Benz. I’m thrilled, very proud and fortunate to have been given this car. Thank you.
Will you be driving this special car this week and make some competitors jealous and taking it for a final ride down the Magnolia Lane as a player?
Absolutely, this car will be going to the tournament and back every day the next few days. I’m sure it will turn a lot of heads. Some of my other champions or colleagues will be jealous seeing me driving such a beautiful car.
Let’s talk a little bit about your fellow companion Ludvig Åberg, the young gun from Sweden. He has recently joined the Mercedes-Benz family. What did you make out of his Master’s debut last year and when he finished runner-up? And with a good start into the season, do you think this year could be his year?
Ludvig is a very young, promising shooting star. Literally, he’s achieved a lot in just a few years of being a professional. He proved it last year with a second place in his very first Masters appearance, which is very, very rare. Most people need several years to figure out the course and how to play it. So, my expectations are very high. I think Ludvig, certainly has it in him to win at least one green jacket, if not more. Is it going to be this year? I have no idea, but I wouldn’t bet against him, and I expect him to win within the next five or 10 years, for sure.
Who else apart from Ludwig Aberg do you have on the list of potential winners for this year?
I think there’s at least 40 or 50 other guys that are hoping to put on the green jacket on Sunday. If I name a few, I’d probably have to mention Scottie Scheffler, who’s won two out of the last three, I believe. Rory McIlroy must be thinking it’s his time, he just won the players’ championship a few weeks ago and seems to be in good form. There are many, many others, but also a couple of the LIV players, Jon Rahm and Koepka especially. It’s quite a long list and they’re all hoping to be the champion by the end of the week.
What will you miss most about the Masters when you are no longer actively participating? And can you please promise that we will still see you in your green jacket at the Masters in the future?
Well, what I’m going to miss is probably the competitive rounds that I’ve played so many of here. To be competing for the title and just to play one of the most beautiful courses in the world. But I will definitely promise I’m going to plan to be back here for many years to come, to participate in the Par-3 contest, to be part of the Masters Champions Dinner and to be here for my sponsors and also to enjoy the tournament with my family and my friends.