Bernhard Langer cemented himself as the greatest player ever on the Champions Tour as he won a 47th title by claiming the Charles Schwab Cup Championship yesterday.
Langer holed a fine putt on the last to win yet another event on the post-50 tour and continue his amazing legacy.
The German is one of the most successful players of all time and his work on the Champions Tour will arguably see him recognised more on that front than for his actual PGA Tour career.
Langer was also the captain when Europe won the Ryder Cup by a record margin in 2004, further cementing his legacy.
However, while Langer is a top player in his own right, he very much draws from experiences and other golfers.
Indeed, one man who blew Langer away previously is six-time major champ, Phil Mickelson.
Mickelson himself has won on the Champions Tour a few times but continues to play at a high level on LIV Golf as well.
And according to Langer, seeing Mickelson play has really changed his perspective on golf.
Bernhard Langer’s comments on Phil Mickelson show his respect for the American’s all round game
Speaking back in 2021 about the impact on distance in the game, Langer was quick to point to how good Mickelson is in other aspects of his game to make up for not being the best with the big stick.
“What I notice is these guys hit it a lot further than we did 20 years ago, 10 years ago. So I used to be one of the longest guys out here about 15 years ago, 14 years ago, now I’m in the middle of the pack, trending the other way,” said Langer told Golfweek.
“So, I’ve got my work cut out making up for that lack of distance somewhere else, either accuracy or better thinking or better short game or whatever, but it’s not easy because they’re good in all of that.”
“He’s had tremendous success. He’s only played, what, four or five tournaments and won three of them if I’m correct. That’s a very high percentage.
“I just heard today that he won 10 days ago and he was 81st in driving accuracy, which blows my mind. If I was 81st in driving accuracy, I wouldn’t finish in the top 20 and he won the tournament.”
Tiger Woods has huge respect for Bernhard Langer
While Langer’s past comments on Mickelson here are a nod of respect to one of golf’s greats, it’s worth noting that Langer himself is well-respected.
Indeed, Tiger Woods has spoken of Langer in the past and praised the German’s longevity.
“Seeing him play, it’s more than amazing. The fact that he’s able to do everything that he does with his neck and his back, and the fact that he still does it each and every day, he works out each and every day. I think that’s what most people don’t realize, it’s how you have longevity, you train each and every day and he does that. And he’s done that consistently,” Woods said.
“I got a chance to play with him in 1994 to go back that far. To see what he’s done since then, and what he does each and every year and what he’s battled with on the greens, the different styles he keeps fighting through, it just goes to show the personality, the determination that he has and the type of person he is to be able to stick through everything.”
Langer, then, appears to be carving his own path even in his later years and with the Masters in April, it will be interesting to see how he does against the very best in the world.
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