At age 65, Bernhard Langer was the oldest competitor in the field for this year's Masters. Looking as fit as ever, Langer didn't just arrive at Augusta National hoping to play respectably.
He honestly expected the make the cut and even, by some miracle, contend for a third green jacket in this, his 40th Masters. (Larry Mize was also playing in his 40th Masters this week, and announced this would be the final time he would compete in the tournament.)
But little of that came true this week, although he certainly played respectively, finishing with a 5-over-par 149 after two rounds, two or three strokes off the projected cutline at the time. Asked what he needed to do better to shoot lower scores, the two-time Masters champion simply said, "Putting. I putted terribly."
Indeed, the German with the long putter he no longer can anchor to his sternum had 32 putts his first day, but a very respectable 28 putts during Round Two.
On Thursday, he found all 14 fairways off the tee and hit 12 of 18 greens. Of course, the record-setting PGA Tour Champions member was well behind the field in driving, averaging just over 265 yards off the tee, so it's understandable that he had to play perfect on a course that just keeps getting longer (the 13th was lengthened for this year's Masters, for example) to have a chance to make it to the weekend.
"I needed to make more birdies today, and I didn't do that," said Langer, who birdied the par-5 eighth and 13th holes, but also bogeyed the par-5 second and par-4 fifth, seventh, and ninth holes. "And I didn't make any birdies yesterday."
He was also disappointed that he wasn't going to get to play on Easter Sunday this year, since it was 30 years ago that he won on Easter Sunday. In 1993, he defeated Chip Beck by four strokes to win his second green jacket.
That was the year that Beck, trailing by three shots during the final round, infamously laid up on 13. Langer later quipped, "If I were in his shoes, I would have gone for it if I had any chance." Beck scrambled for par on 13, and Langer made birdie, then cruised to the win.
It was also the last time a player won the Masters with a persimmon driver. One of the brands that Langer represents, Rolex, has that driver and has been displaying it. Langer was also presented with a special edition Mercedes Benz G Class car last summer commemorating his upcoming 40 years of playing the Masters.
The Mercedes (another brand for Langer) is adorned with all sorts of art, including the words, #SeniorCareerGrandSlam," "119 Worldwide Victories," and "Stronger than Time," a tagline not only for Mercedes but Langer's incredibly long and successful career that started humbly as a teenage assistant golf professional in Germany.
The car also has pictures of his swing, which he said looks better than his real swing, and his signature.
On Friday, he still seemed overwhelmed by the tributes. But he said the highlight of this week was simply being here, getting to play Augusta again, competing, and hearing the cheers of the patrons (he called them spectators, and said he knows that's not the proper term at Augusta National.)
"Augusta National is just such a special place, what they do for the game of golf, and how this place continues to evolve," he said.
As to what this Easter will be like for him, Langer has a pretty good alternative. "I will spend it with family."
