Bernhard Langer became the most successful golfer in Senior Major Championship history as he secured his third Senior Open Championship.
The 59-year-old German, victorious at this event in 2010 and 2014, was previously tied with South Africa’s Gary Player on nine senior major victories, and he moved into double figures with a three-stroke victory over Corey Pavin.
With his second victory on the links of Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, Langer joins Player and Tom Watson as the only three-time winners of the Senior Claret Jug.
Although his margin of victory wasn’t as spectacular as the 13 strokes he won by in 2014, Langer’s success is certainly as impressive as he started the week with laryngitis and battled treacherous weather conditions throughout the week on the exposed Welsh links.
“It’s a fantastic feeling to have won here again,” said Langer, who began the final round with a four-shot lead. “There might have been a little extra pressure, just knowing that I won here by 13 a few years ago. I hit my first tee shot straight into a gorse bush on the left and it was unplayable so, looking back now, it ended a lot better than it started.”
Pavin, Langer’s closest rival at the start of the day’s play, closed to within three shots in the early stages, but bogeys on the 13th and 15th effectively ended his challenge. He closed with a 71 to finish second, while Fred Couples had a 68 to tie for third at even par with fellow American Billy Andrade and Australia’s Peter Lonard. Phillip Price was the best-placed home golfer, the Welshman finishing joint sixth on one over.