Langer continues to defy age on Champions Tour

Miguel Angel Jimenez made two holes-in-one over the weekend as he won the Cologuard Classic in Tucson, Arizona.

And he needed those aces. They were the margin of victory for Jimenez as he held off Bernhard Langer from yet another title on the Champions Tour.

Langer and victories are commonplace on golf’s senior circuit. It’s beyond remarkable what Langer continues to do on the golf course as a 64-year-old.

When he won the Chubb Classic a week earlier, Langer broke his own record as the oldest player to win on the circuit. It was also victory No. 43, putting him two wins shy of Hale Irwin’s all-time mark.

Most believe it’s a matter of when, not if, the record will fall.

“I’m getting closer now,” Langer said. “But it’s gotta happen fairly soon. It’s going to be tough. I can’t wait two or three years. I got to do it fairly soon.”

Irwin’s wins came in bunches. He had 20 by the time he was 53, and won just once after turning 60.

Langer, on the other hand, has been consistently great since joining the tour in late 2007. He has a win in 16 consecutive seasons and 11 major championships, but few answers as to why he continues to play at such a high level.

“I guess I have good genes,” he said. “I’m a very competitive person and I love to compete. I work hard at it, I spend a lot of time practicing and trying to figure out the game.”

He credits his caddie, coach, family and faith as keys to keeping him grounded.

“It’s not life and death down here,” he said. “It’s nice to win, but if somebody else wins, kudos to them. Life goes on, and a few weeks from now nobody might remember anyway,”

That same attitude led him to 42 European Tour wins, two green jackets at Augusta and enormous respect from his peers.

He also inspired many European golfers, including Alex Cejka, the Las Vegas resident who grew up idolizing his countryman.

“What he accomplished in Europe in the ‘80s and ‘90s, I mean he was my hero when I was a little kid,” Cejka said. “I think he’s the reason why I turned professional, because golf in Germany in the ‘80s was nothing. Nothing. Our sport was tennis, Boris Becker, Steffi Graf.”

Cejka remembers working as a caddie as a teenager one year in Germany’s national championship, and his player got paired with Langer.

“Instead of focusing on my caddie job, I was watching and observing what (Langer) was doing,” Cejka remembered. “So I think I got in trouble with my player. I was totally ignoring him … I wanted to be so close to Bernhard.”

Cejka isn’t alone in his admiration for Langer. PGA Tour staff recently asked other players to describe Langer in five words, and the responses focused on his determination and discipline.

“Dogged in pursuit of perfection,” Jeff Sluman said. “Proof of other life forms,” added Mike Weir. “He’s like water. Relentless,” said Jay Haas.

But Scott McCarron may have summed up Langer the best: “Legen … wait for it … dary.”

Tim Petrovic said Langer is just comfortable when a tournament is on the line.

“He’s efficient in everything he does: working out, eating, drinking, practicing,” Petrovic said. “He’s not that way because he’s 64. I think he’s been that way his whole life.”

Chip Shots

■ UNLV alum Kurt Kitayama had his best career finish on the PGA Tour at the Honda Classic. The third-place result came out of nowhere. Kitayama hadn’t made a cut since October and was one of just five players to have played at least four events in 2022 without making a cut.

■ David Llewellyn survived a double-bogey on the 17th hole during a 2-over 74 to win the SNGA event at Aliante Golf Club on Thursday. Other winners included David Koch (Senior), Frank Acker (Sliver) and Brian Kim (Championship Net).

Greg Robertson covers golf for the Review-Journal. He can be reached at grobertson@reviewjournal.com.