BELMONT, Mass. — Bernhard Langer has an eight-stroke lead heading into the final round of the Senior Players Championship, and that doesn’t leave much hope for the golfers chasing him.
The defending champion shot a 4-under 67 in the third round Saturday and is 16 under in the third senior tour major of the year. Langer has never shot worse than 70 in the final round of the Senior Players.
At the Senior British Open last year, he led by eight strokes after 54 holes and won by 13 — the largest margin of victory in Champions Tour history.
“My goal is to shoot under par. And, if I can do that, it will be very difficult for anyone to catch me,” said Langer, who is trying to become the first repeat winner at the event since Arnold Palmer in 1984-85. “I’m eager to put a ‘W’ behind my name. But I’m not saying I’m there yet.”
Russ Cochran was even for the day and in second place at the 6,812-yard, par-71 Belmont Country Club.
“He’s a heck of a player, and you expect him to take care of his business,” said Cochran, who hasn’t won on the Champions Tour since 2013. “I’m hoping to use this as a building block. … You never know, a victory down the line might start right here.”
Thumbnail photo via Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY Sports Images
