The 66-year-old PGA Tour Champions stalware tore his Achilles on Feb. 1 of this year. He had already announced plans to make the 2024 Masters his last trip down Magnolia Lane but later said he’d make the 2025 one his last, after his recovery. Langer made the cut at Augusta National Golf Club as recently as 2020.
Well, his recovery is coming right along, as Langer has announced he is planning to make his Champions Tour return next week, right at the three-month mark of his injury.
In a video posted on X, Langer said recounted how he got hurt.
Two months after tearing his achilles, @BernhardLanger6 is making a return.
In the video, Langer said the Achilles tear happened when he was playing pickleball. He went in for surgery the next day and has been wearing a walking boot for several weeks since then.
But if you thought that type of injury was going to be the end of his career, think again.
“I think I can still be productive for a few more years,” he said. “I still think I have a lot of good golf in me.”
The PGA Tour Champions’ Insperity Invitational is at The Woodlands Country Club in The Woodlands, Texas, outside Houston. Two of his record-setting 46 victories on the senior circuit came in the Insperity, in 2014 and 2018.
“It was a great night; an emotional night. Ben (Crenshaw) made sure that tonight was all about Jon, Seve and Jackie Burke.”
AUGUSTA, Ga. — The Champions Dinner tipped its hat to Spain on Tuesday evening.
On what would’ve been the 67th birthday of Seve Ballesteros, the table of 33 champions welcomed its newest member — Jon Rahm — before flooding the room with memories of Augusta’s first European victor.
“It was a great night; an emotional night,” said Larry Mize, the 1987 winner. “Ben (Crenshaw) made sure that tonight was all about Jon, Seve and Jackie Burke.”
Rahm sat at the head of the table, side-by-side with Ben Crenshaw, marking the first time a LIV golfer played host to the dinner.
And even though the narrative of PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf remains heated to some, for one night, the sides united.
“We’re a fraternity,” said Crenshaw, who emcees the annual supper.
Added Charles Coody: “It couldn’t have been more congenial. Even Tom Watson at the very end of dinner, he stood from his chair and said how happy he was to see the camaraderie within our group. It was a wonderful night.”
Crenshaw, in his Texas drawl, opened the evening by welcoming Rahm to the Masters Club; he then gifted the Spaniard an inscribed gold locket in the form of the Club emblem.
Two years ago, at the 2022 Champions Dinner, Hideki Matsuyama stunned the table by reciting a speech in English, prompting Gary Player to toast in Japanese.
When asked earlier in the week about congratulating Jon Rahm in Spanish, Ben Crenshaw reflected on his Austin High School diploma.
“I took French,” said Crenshaw, laughing.
A Masters pin flag blows at the practice facility during the second round of the 2023 Masters. (Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Network)
From there, stories immersed the room about Seve.
Bernhard Langer orated a tale about the 1983 Ryder Cup at Palm Beach Gardens when Ballesteros struck a 3-wood out of a bunker from 230 yards onto the green.
Langer told the table that from the lie Seve had, no golfer — aside from Ballesteros — would’ve cleared the lip with anything less than a six iron.
Crenshaw also mentioned the passing of 1956 Masters Champion Jackie Burke.
Burke, who shared a Champions locker with Tiger Woods, died on Jan. 19, 10 days before his 101st birthday.
“God put me down here for a long spell,” Burke said on his 100th birthday.
Thirty-three past champions attended the dinner. The only two absent were Angel Cabrera and Sandy Lyle.
According to Mize, Lyle’s wife, Jolanda, was having inner ear problems, and the 1988 Masters winner elected to remain home.
“Jolanda tried to get Sandy to come,” Mize said. “But he didn’t want to come without her.”
As defending champ, Rahm selected the menu for Tuesday evening, with his spread giving homage to Spain’s Basque region.
The meal began with six options for tapas and pintxos, Spanish for starters, before offering two main courses: Chuleton a la Parrilla, a ribeye with Piquillo peppers, or Rodaballo al Pil-Pil, a fish dish with white asparagus.
José María Olazábal chose the fish. Craig Stadler ordered red meat.
Coody picked fish.
“I didn’t want to venture too far into no-man’s land,” Coody said.
According to multiple past winners, similar to last year, Phil Mickelson remained quiet, and despite being close to Rahm, he elected not to give a toast.
Prior to his injury, Langer had faired well at Augusta, making the cut in 2020.
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Bernhard Langer confirmed Tuesday that 2025 will be his final Masters Tournament.
The 66-year-old tore his Achilles tendon on Feb. 1, and had previously announced that 2024 would be his last competitive appearance.
“I plan to play next year,” Langer, the 1985 and 1993 Masters winner, said Tuesday. “That’ll be my last.”
When Langer steps away, it’ll stamp a final goodbye to champions from the 1980s.
Jack Nicklaus was the first 1980s victor to cease competing in 2005, while Larry Mize and Sandy Lyle stopped in 2023.
At 48-years-old, Nick Faldo exited the stage in 2006 to commentate for CBS.
“My decision was easy,” Faldo said. “It was a cold, windy day (in 2006) and I had my son on the bag. I hit driver at the ninth hole and didn’t make it down the hill. So I’m hitting 3-iron into the wind and thought, ‘That’s it. I’m done.’”
Prior to his injury, Langer had faired well at Augusta lately, making the cut in 2020, while missing the weekend by two shots in 2023.
Still, Faldo believes the German is making the right call.
“Bernhard’s done an incredible job staying on top,” Faldo said. “But as time goes on, we start to lose touch, and you can’t play Augusta without touch.”
As for 1990s champs, four past winners have already ceased competing, including Faldo (1989, 1990, 1996), Ian Woosnam (1991), Ben Crenshaw (1984 and 1995) and Mark O’Meara (1998).
In the timeline of champions, Fred Couples would be next to depart, but the 1992 winner hasn’t announced plans to give notice.
After all, in 2023, Couples, then 63, became the oldest player to conquer the cut.
“I can’t compete with Viktor Hovland or Jon Rahm or anybody, but I can compete with myself, and that’s really why I come,” Couples said. “That’s what I like to do: make the cut here at an older age.”
Couples added: “The last thing I want to do is embarrass myself. I know I can hit the ball. What is that? I don’t know if that’s a 73 or 75, but I’m not shooting 80. There’s no way. I’m just not that kind of person.”
When Langer steps away next April, it will duplicate his contemporaries, in that no champion from the 1980s missed the cut more than 10 straight years before quitting.
In contrast, 1957 winner Doug Ford, either missed the cut or withdrew in each of his final 30 appearances.
“I’m not coming up the last at 18 over,” Faldo said. “When CBS called, I went straight to the tower.”
Reigning champ Bernhard Langer will not have a chance to defend his title as he recently tore his Achilles.
Five past major champions, including John Daly, are among the latest collection of golfers to join the field for this year’s Chubb Classic, set for Feb. 16-18 at Tiburón Golf Club in Naples.
Daly, the 1991 PGA Championship and 1995 Open Championship winner will make his first appearance at the Chubb since 2020. The perennial fan favorite recorded a hole-in-one at the 2018 tournament en route to an eighth-place finish, his best showing at the Chubb.
Also announced Wednesday as tournament commits: Ernie Els, David Toms, Mike Weir, Steven Alker, and Stephen Ames.
Els, a two-time U.S Open (1994, 1997) and Open Championship (2002, 2012) winner and a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, has more than 75 professional victories worldwide during his illustrious career. He finished tied for 10th place at the 2023 Chubb Classic.
Toms, the 2001 PGA champion and 2018 U.S. Senior Open champion, finished tied for sixth place at the last year’s Chubb. Including the U.S. Senior Open, Toms has four PGA Tour Champions victories, including two in 2023.
Weir, the 2003 Masters champion, will be the first Canadian to captain the International Team at the 2024 Presidents Cup, which will take place at Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Quebec.
Alker, the 2022 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship winner, 2022 Charles Schwab Cup winner, and 2023 Charles Schwab Cup runner-up, also has two consecutive Champions victories: last year’s Schwab Cup Championship and this year’s season-opening event, the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai.
Ernie Els plays from the fairway on the 18th hole during the final round of the RBC Heritage golf tournament at Harbour Town Golf Links. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Ames, the 2006 Players Championship winner, is a six-time Champions winner, including four victories in 2023.
They join a group that features World Golf Hall-of-Famers Davis Love III, Colin Montgomerie and 2024 inductee Padraig Harrington as well as former World No. 1 ranked players and major champions David Duval and Tom Lehman.
Reigning champ Bernhard Langer will not have a chance to defend his title as he recently tore his Achilles.
Past Chubb champions Steve Stricker (2021), Miguel Angel Jimenez (2019), Joe Durant (2018), Lee Janzen (2015) and Kirk Triplett (2014) have also committed to play in the event. One former winner who won’t be competing is two-time defending champion Bernard Langer. The winningest golfer in Champions history tore his Achilles tendon in a training exercise last week and will be unable to pursue his sixth Chubb Classic title.
The final members of the tournament field will be announced at 5 p.m. Friday. A total of 78 players will compete in the 54-hole championship for a share of the $1.8 million purse. All three rounds will be shown live on the Golf Channel.
Tickets are now on sale for the 2024 Chubb Classic, including exclusive hospitality and general admission. All 2024 tournament tickets will be completely digital and will be emailed after purchase. E-tickets can be viewed on either a mobile device or printed out to be scanned at the main gate.
Now in its 37th year, the Chubb Classic is the longest-running Champions Tour event in the same metropolitan area, getting its start in Southwest Florida at The Club Pelican Bay in 1988 and has been at Tiburón since 2021.
Langer had previously announced that the 2024 Masters would be his last one.
The winningest golfer in PGA Tour Champions history is going to miss significant time because of an injury.
Bernhard Langer, 66, announced Friday he tore his Achilles tendon during a training exercise Thursday in Boca Raton, Florida. Two weeks ago, he finished T-22 in the PGA Tour Champions 2024 season opener in Hawaii.
“I will have surgery today to repair the injury, which will cause me to miss time playing competitive golf as I recover,” Langer said in a statement. “Throughout my career, faith and family have been my bedrocks, providing me strength and guiding me through difficult times. I will lean on both as I work towards a return to competition.
“I appreciate everyone’s support during this time, and I look forward to seeing the fans and my fellow competitors back on the course soon.”
He has 46 wins on the PGA Tour Champions, the most all-time, and 12 senior major championships.
The Achilles is the tendon that goes up the back of the ankle and connects the foot to the leg. It runs from the heel bone to the bottom of the calf muscle. It directs movement from the leg to the foot, including pointing and flexing.
Full recovery from an Achilles tendon injury can take up to 12 months, meaning it’s unlikely we see him play at the Masters.
The odds of injuring an Achilles tendon increase with age, according to the Mayo Clinic. Most Achilles injuries happen between the ages of 30 and 40. Men are five times more likely to experience the injury than women.
Langer is the defending champion at the Chubb Classic, Feb. 16-18, at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida, as well as the U.S. Senior Open, which was his record-setting Champions victory last summer.
Alker won at the course where Sam Workman caddied for him a year ago for the last time before dying of cancer.
Steven Alker picked up right where he left off, winning the PGA Tour Champions’ season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Ka’upulehu-Kona, Hawaii.
Alker, who won the Charles Schwab Championship to wrap up the 2023 season in November, fired a second straight 9-under 63 at Hualalai Golf Course on Saturday to shoot a 54-hole total of 25-under 191, and win by four strokes over Harrison Frazar and five over last year’s Charles Schwab Cup champion Steve Stricker.
“I knew Stricker and Harrison were going to come at me, so just kept the pedal to the metal,” Alker said.
It wasn’t lost on Alker, 52, that a year ago he finished tied for second on the Big Island with caddie Sam Workman on the bag. Less than three weeks later, the 55-year-old Workman died on Feb. 6 of cancer. When Alker arrived at the course on Tuesday, he was greeted by a rainbow in the sky and during the final round he was the beneficiary of a fortuitous bounce at the par-5 seventh hole when his second shot, a 4-iron from 218 yards, sailed right of the green, bounced off the cart path twice and ricocheted off lava and on to the green about 40 feet left of the hole. He proceeded to drain the putt for an unlikely eagle. Alker couldn’t see it from his vantage point but when he was shown video of the shot later, he credited “good karma.”
Exactly one year ago, Sam Workman caddied for Steven Alker here (Hualalai) in what turned out to be Sam’s last event ever. He passed away a week later from cancer. This morning, we were greeted with this rainbow #SamWorkman#TeamAlker#Hualalaipic.twitter.com/Ws01q8Jukd
“Someone said it kind of kicked off the path and rolled up and went left. Just a fortunate break,” he said. “I was surprised to see it on the left side of the green. Thought it must have hit either someone or something. It could have gone anywhere.
“As I said in my speech, sometimes it goes one way and last year, a couple years ago it goes the other way, so it all kind of works out in the end,” he added. “Made that putt, which was huge.”
Said Stricker, who collected his PGA Tour Champions Player of the Year Award earlier in the week: “You get a bounce like that, and capitalize like that, it’s kind of your day.”
With veteran caddie Troy Martin ably filling the shoes of Workman on the bag, Alker followed up the eagle at seven with a birdie at eight to build a three-shot cushion and never looked back, matching the low 54-hole score in PGA Tour Champions history.
Steven Alker of New Zealand reacts as he sinks his birdie putt on the 18th green to win the PGA Tour Champions Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai Golf Course on Jan. 20, 2024 in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Among the well-wishers to congratulate the New Zealand native on his eighth career Champions Tour win in just 54 starts was Germany’s Bernhard Langer.
“Starting off the way you finished,” Langer said. “Good for you. Pretty special.”
“We’ve got the rust off anyway, Bernhard,” Alker responded.
“Well, I’ve got work to do, but you got it,” Langer said.
Alker, who has at least one win in each of his four seasons, dating back to 2021, has found that winning way.
Langer made his debut at Augusta National Golf Club in 1982.
Two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer will make his final trip down Magnolia Lane as a competitor this year.
Langer, 66, announced the 2024 Masters will be his last ahead of this week’s Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai in Hawaii, the first PGA Tour Champions event of the year.
“It’s exciting,” Langer told NBC Sports as part of a PGA Tour Champions season preview that will air on Golf Channel on Wednesday night, “but at the same time, I’m aware that I’m going to be hitting 3-irons and 2-hybrids when the guys are hitting 9-irons into the green, and that’s tough to compete against. But it’s a challenge, and I usually don’t shy away from challenges.”
The Masters champion in 1985 and 1993, Langer made his debut at Augusta National Golf Club in 1982 and will make his 41st career start later this year. The German has finished inside the top 10 eight times, most recently in 2014. His last made cut was in 2020.
One of 17 players who have won the Masters more than once, Langer is joined by the following two-time champions: Horton Smith, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Tom Watson, Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Ben Crenshaw, Jose Maroa Olazabal and Bubba Watson.
Langer is a legendary pro who, after earning three PGA Tour and 42 DP World Tour wins, went on to become the greatest senior player the game has ever seen. He’s won a record 12 senior major championships and broke the record for Champions tour wins with his 46th victory at last year’s U.S. Senior Open.
Here are five takeaways from a soggy but festive Sunday at Ritz-Carlton Golf Club.
ORLANDO — Bernhard Langer and his son Jason entered the final round of the PNC Championship trailing by three strokes and wound up winning by two after a final-round 59.
“That’s just steamrolling people,” said runner-up David Duval.
The Langers finished at 25 under in the two-person scramble. For Bernhard, it’s his fifth title at the PNC – twice with his eldest son Stefan (2005 and 2006) and now three times with his youngest son, Jason (2014, 2019, 2023).
“Very special,” said Bernhard, who has competed in the PNC with all four of his children. “It’s always special whether you win or not, just being here is like the Olympics. They only take 20 teams and there’s probably 25 on the waiting list that would love to be here.”
Bernhard Langer and son, Jason Langer, celebrate winning the PNC Championship at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club on Dec. 17, 2023 in Orlando. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
Rain and wind that gusted more than 30 mph couldn’t the dampen the spirits of teams at the family-focused event. And with Tiger Woods and son Charlie back for a fourth consecutive year, plenty of fans braved the weather to catch a glimpse.
Here are five takeaways from a soggy but festive Sunday at Ritz-Carlton Golf Club:
The father-son duo won the 2023 PNC Championship on Sunday at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando by two shots over David Duval and his son, Brady. The win is the fifth for Langer at the annual family event, tying Raymond Floyd with the most wins.
For their efforts, Team Langer will take home the top prize of $200,000, while the Duvals earned $80,000. Check out how much money each team earned this weekend at the 2023 PNC Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando.
Langer is the second five-time winner of the annual family event.
For more than 20 years Raymond Floyd was the only five-time winner of the annual PNC Championship. That all changed on Sunday.
Bernhard Langer and his son, Jason, ran away with the 2023 family hit-and-giggle at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando after a white-hot day on the putting green. The father-son duo made birdie on their first seven holes of the day and shot an impressive 13-under 59 during Sunday’s final round to take the trophy at 25 under.
“Just it’s always special whether you win or not, just being here is like the Olympics. They only take 20 teams and there’s probably 25 on the waiting list that would love to be here,” Bernhard said after the round. “It’s always a wonderful thing to get an invitation to come and play here, and as you all know, I’ve got four kids, played with all four of them, and we have a lot of wonderful memories.
Floyd and Langer are now the only five-time winners of the event. Larry Nelson has three wins and Davis Love III has two. Langer won with his son, Stefan, in 2005 and 2006, and won with Jason in 2014, 2019 and now 2023. He also previously played with his daughter, Christina, in 2013 and 2016.
“It was a ton of fun. I said it earlier, but I don’t get to play as much golf anymore, and I don’t get to see my parents and my family quite as much anymore,” Jason added. “To be able to play golf as a family and in a beautiful spot and great competition and play a really good golf course, it’s amazing.”
David Duval and his son, Brady, finished second at 23 under, while defending champions Vijay and Qass Singh finished third at 22 under.
“This is by far the best week of the year, this is the week that you’re just hoping for that invite every single year,” said Brady. “I’m very thankful to have the invite and I’m thankful for everybody here. It was an absolute blast out there. If we got it a little closer on a few holes and gave ourselves a couple better chances, we would have had a pretty good chance at winning this year.
“It’s the best golfing week of the year,” David echoed. “You’re on pins and needles come — once August kind of rolls around, hoping to see that e-mail from Alastair with the invite. I think certainly with the majority of folks who play at our age, it’s the most coveted invite in golf, as well, and I think as you could argue, it’s the hardest field to get into.
“To be asked to come back and participate, it’s a dream come true every year it happens.”
