Bernhard Langer has bid farewell to the European tour on residence soil in Germany 50 years after the two-time Masters champion made his debut.
Langer, 66, missed the minimize on the BMW Worldwide Open in Munich on Friday however stated he’ll cherish the “great recollections” he is made.
“It is arduous to place into phrases. It is sort of been a dream come true for me, rising up in a village of 800 folks the place no one knew what golf was,” Langer stated. “Once I informed my classmates I’ll go play golf, they thought I used to be loopy. I used to be capable of reside that dream for 50 years.”
Langer made his European tour debut in 1974 and performed greater than 500 occasions, claiming 42 wins, second solely to the late Seve Ballesteros of Spain.
He shot a 1-over 73 within the second spherical to complete three beneath the minimize line in his closing look on the tour.
Early this 12 months, Langer tore an Achilles tendon whereas exercising and had surgical procedure. He had deliberate to play the Masters one final time. It is doable he may nonetheless return in 2025 for an Augusta farewell.
“I used to be capable of journey the world, meet with kings and queens, and play golf with all kinds of individuals, whether or not they’re profitable businessmen or simply the typical butcher or bricklayer or no matter,” Langer stated.
Langer continues to play on the PGA Tour Champions circuit and has gained 12 majors, most just lately the 2023 U.S. Senior Open. He tried a U.S. Senior Open title protection final month and made the minimize earlier than tying for forty second.
He has 123 total profession titles, together with on the 1985 and 1993 Masters. Langer additionally amassed a 21-15-6 Ryder Cup document and captained Europe to the 2004 championship at Oakland Hills in Michigan.
Thomas Bjorn, a former Ryder Cup teammate, stated Langer will likely be missed on the DP World Tour.
“You’ll by no means meet a more true gentleman within the sport than Bernhard Langer,” Bjorn stated, in keeping with the tour’s web site. “He’s an honor to be round and a pleasure to be round. … I performed loads of match golf with him, however I additionally performed loads of apply golf with him, and he at all times made me really feel welcome into his world.”
The Related Press and Area Stage Media contributed to this report.
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