BELMONT, Mass. – If you have the chance to put your name alongside the great Arnold Palmer, you know you’ve got a pretty special opportunity at stake.
That’s the position Bernhard Langer finds himself in this weekend at the Champions’ Tour Senior Players Championship at Belmont Country Club.
The 57-year-old German descends upon the Boston area looking to become the first back-to-back Senior Players winner since Palmer won two in a row in 1984 and 1985. Langer also has the chance to become only the fourth player to win the championship multiple times, joining Palmer, Dave Stockton and Raymond Floyd.
“It was a great win for me last year to edge out Jeff Sluman in the playoffs,” Langer said Wednesday at the Senior Players Championship pro-am. “It’s always a feather in your cap when you win a major because you know you’re playing against the best in the world on a tough venue.”
Don’t be surprised if Langer is able to capture his second title in as many years. He’s off to a fine start again this season despite not breaking through yet. Langer is fourth in the Charles Schwab rankings and has five top-10 finishes in nine starts this season. He’s been close, just not close enough.
“Just not quite there, I’m firing on three cylinders instead of four,” he said. “I’m only 80 percent, 90 percent, not 100 at times. It’s just a combination of hitting a couple of loose shots, maybe a couple of bad putts and maybe getting frustrated here or there and not thinking clearly.”
He’s played good golf, but he just hasn’t been able to break through. Langer is hoping that this is the week he can start to put it all together.
“I’m on the right track and I’m positive things will improve in the next few weeks and I’ll get that ‘W’ real soon,” he said.
Langer is a World Golf Hall of Famer, a two-time Masters winner and one of the most decorated players ever to step foot on a PGA Tour course. Simply put, he doesn’t have much to prove. However, if he’s able to find that fourth cylinder this weekend in Boston, he’ll be able to put his name next to the King – which is never a bad thing.
Thumbnail photo via Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
