Germany’s Bernhard Langer is coming home again to make his final start on the DP World Tour in this week’s BMW International Open at Munich.
The 66-year-old Langer is not fully retired — he is still playing (and winning) on the PGA Tour Champions — but the tournament at Golfclub Munchen Eichenried will be the first of many farewells at the end of his golf career.
Langer said he does not know how this week on home soil will make him feel.
“I’ve never said goodbye to anything so far in terms of golf,” Langer said Tuesday. “This is going to be a first experience and I have a feeling it’s going to be very emotional.”
Langer grew up close to the area and said he worked as an assistant professional at a nearby course, Munich Country Club.
“I have a lot of friends, some relatives and just people that have been with me, supported me for many, many years in the game of golf, and obviously I’ve played this tournament many times,” Langer said. “It’s the only one I haven’t won yet in Germany. So it was always tricky, but I’m glad to be back.”
Langer has won two green jackets at the 1985 and 1993 Masters, and 42 of his 123 career titles came on what was then known as the European Tour.
Langer was meant to make the final start of his Masters career last April, but he tore an Achilles tendon two months prior and underwent surgery.
He now has 12 PGA Tour Champions majors on his resume, most recently the 2023 U.S. Senior Open. He attempted a U.S. Senior Open title defense last week and made the cut before tying for 42nd.
Langer, who said “things are getting better and better” with his recovery, was unsure how well he would fare against the competition this week.
“Hopefully I can make the cut, but I hear the golf course is a lot longer than it used to be, and that’s a challenge for me,” he said. “I’m getting shorter, and the course is getting longer and that’s not a good combination.”
–Field Level Media
