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By Robin Barwick
A friend of Bernhard Langer’s won big on Sunday, having backed the 63-year-old Langer to finish higher up the 2020 Masters leaderboard than 50-year-old Phil Mickelson. It wasn’t even close in the end, as Germany’s Langer finished six shots better than Mickelson. Perhaps the haggle should have been more ambitious because Langer, the Masters champion of 1985 and 1993, even finished a shot better than the golfer many considered to be the pre-tournament favourite, Bryson DeChambeau.
The point is not to criticise Mickelson and DeChambeau – both major champions in their own right – but to emphasise Langer’s achievement at the 2020 Masters. First he set a new record as the oldest golfer ever to make the cut in the Masters, then he continued his rock-solid performance through 72 holes to finish on 285, three under par for the tournament, and in a share of 29th place.
Other golfers to finish below langer on the final leaderboard include Tiger Woods, Adam Scott, Paul Casey, Lee Westwood, Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson and the list goes on for quite a while.
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“The most satisfying thing is to play 72 holes and finish under par,” reflects Langer, who posted his lowest Masters final score since he finished in a tie for fourth on the same number in 2004. “It is not easily done because the golf course has never played this long. The course is usually a little more firm when we play the Masters in April but this time around, in November, the golf course was really wet and I had to hit longer clubs into the greens than I have ever done.
“I would say that this year I have played some of my best golf, in terms of what I am capable of doing with the clubs I have to play into these greens.”
The clubs Langer took to play approach shots last week were considerably longer than those taken by a long hitter like DeChambeau, who was grouped with Langer for yesterday’s final round
“It is incredible to watch Bryson DeChambeau drive the ball,” adds Langer. “It is like a rocket is taking off. If we both hit good drives on the same hole, I am often playing a two hybrid into the green while he hits a pitching wedge. That is about the difference. To do this over 72 holes is such a disadvantage. To somehow get the ball around that golf course and to compete is quite a challenge but it is fun for me to watch these guys.
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“Let’s take the par-5 13th in the final round; I hit driver and couldn’t reach the green so I laid up with a four-iron, and then had 70 yards left to the pin. DeChambeau hit a driver and nine iron next to the hole and he holed the putt for an eagle. He drives his golf ball over trees and cuts off dog-legs.”
Despite this, Langer beat DeChambeau by two shots over 18 holes yesterday.
“Bryson wasn’t playing smart enough sometimes but he will improve his course management the more he plays the golf course,” adds Langer. “That’s how it goes at Augusta. Every time Bryson plays Augusta National he will learn from his mistakes and they will get stored in his memory bank. Often the best way to learn is from making mistakes.”
The golfer making the least mistakes last week in the Masters was Dustin Johnson, the new champion and who Langer identified as the man to beat after 36 holes of the tournament.
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“I talked to Dustin Johnson a couple of times on the driving range at Augusta and he seemed very relaxed yet also very focused,” says Langer. “He seemed to be in a good spot, not-overwhelmed by the occasion. He struck me as someone who has it together. Johnson does not get rattled very easily. His ball striking is also a great strength. He drives the ball extremely straight, he is one of the longest drivers and he hits a lot of good irons. He also putted fantastically well last week. That is a lethal combination.”
Bernhard Langer is a Mercedes-Benz Brand Ambassador. Mercedes-Benz is a Global Partner of The Masters.
