Executive Golf Magazine

Bernhard Langer is the ‘last man standing’ of a generation of European major champions.

It was in a crowded departure lounge at Faro Airport in April 1979 that I first met him. He was wearing garishly checked trousers, had long, blond hair and had daringly decided to pair this with a moustache so that he looked as though he was trying to audition for a bit part in Caddyshack.

My travelling companion, Gordon Richardson, pointed him out to me. “Take notice of this guy, “ said Gordon who is one of the most tenacious reporters of his generation. “He is very, very good and with a bit of luck he just may turn out to be great. Let me introduce you to Bernhard Langer.”

Six years later, Bernhard and I sat down together to put together his autobiography, the first chapter of which focused on his first Masters victory in 1986 which, given that he had been suffering the yips for several years by then, was not a bad way to open a Major account. Or a book.

Now here we are talking again. A lot has changed - he is now 50 years old - but the core stuff remains intact. Basically, this amounts to me remaining slightly crazed and confused while Bernhard is still seriously devout and unfailingly polite.

The peace that I know, I haven’t seen in others. We’re here for 70, 80, 90 years. How can we be so concerned about bigger cars and houses?

There have, of course, been lots of conversations in between, many of them having little or anything to do with golf but it was golf I mostly wished to discuss this time and the reason for my chat was that he is now officially The Last Man Standing from a generation that also gave us Seve, Nick, Sandy and Woosie.

Or at least he is standing properly in a world that is now inhabited by ambitious younger men who thump the ball a country mile and don’t know what it is like to sleep in cheap, bug-infested hotel rooms and drive a VW Beetle around Europe hoping that most of it sticks together long enough to make the trip and earn a crust.

While the other members of the Fab Five have gone on to various achievements, Langer is the one who you could still mention with regard to a Ryder Cup place without most people falling over and hysterical laughter filling the air. Of course this being Bernhard he tried at first to dismiss my opening assertion that this was indeed the extraordinary case. Then, as he listened further to my argument, he began to see the logic of it.

“Well, okay, I agree that I may now be the most consistent and competitive as a player,” Langer says. “Lucky? No, I don’t think so. I don’t believe in luck, I believe in God’s Faith and hard work. I have looked after myself as well. I don’t drink much, never have, and I eat properly most of the time. Still, some of it is in the genes as well. Seve has a bad back and he can’t help that, can he?”

“I was 50 in August this year and so I am entering a new phase of my life. I am looking forward to it. How long can I go on? I don’t know but I look at Gary Player and I am reassured. How old is Gary now? Seventy? (he turned 72 in November actually) Look at how fit he is still. I marvel at his ability to still make a 90-degree shoulder turn. He’s remarkable and he’s an inspiration for us all as we get older.

“It also helps that I still enjoy the game so much and that I have such good friends and family around to support me. Vikki and I have been together a long time now and she has been wonderful. Some of the other guys have suffered divorces as we all know and, no matter what they say, these things must leave a scar of some sort.”

What is certain is that between them they more or less created the European Tour as we now know it, even if Bernhard attempts to dilute the impact of such an obvious thought by pointing out that “we were some small cogs in a very big wheel”. Did I mention his modesty? I should have.

So I point out how extraordinary his life has been. I mean who would have thought that a lad from a poor, hard-working family in what was then West Germany would emerge as one of the best known sportsmen on the planet. At golf?

“Sometimes when I look back and reflect on what has happened to me in the last 30 years I cannot quite believe it all. For many years I’d have said it was fate that meant I met certain people, made certain decisions but I know now that it was God ordained. I am amazed myself at how much I am blessed.”

He discovered his faith 25 years ago and it has been such a central part of his life ever since that it is impossible to describe him without reference to his God. As I am an atheist one might imagine that this fierce belief of his would somehow come between us and yet it most emphatically does not. I have listened to him and he has listened to me and, anyway, he always says: “I will never try to force you to believe.”

What, for now, I believe is that Bernhard Langer is an extremely decent bloke. He, of course, would attribute this to his faith whereas I fall back on the genetic argument. Certainly having met his mum and dad I can vouchsafe that decency runs in this family.

To date he has played in 290 tournaments in the United States, won three, been runner-up eight times and third on the same number of occasions. In Europe he has 42 titles with another 19 worldwide. He was an outstanding Ryder Cup captain in 2004 and last year he won the World Cup for Germany alongside Marcel Siem. His son Stefan caddied. Slice all this how you may wish – and don’t forget to factor in those two Masters victories – and it always comes out as sensational.

Plus, in achieving all this, he has maintained dignity as well as balance. He is not alone in achieving this trick but he very nearly is.

Meanwhile, his future lies on The Champions Tour which he has now joined. He says he is looking forward more to playing with men his own age and to being able to forget about his relative lack of length for a while. Also, he wants to win again.

While he is performing meritoriously he will, of course, continue to spread his gospel of love. As ever he will do this gently and quietly. “That’s what I try to do. Not to ram it down anyone’s throat but to do it humbly. The peace that I know, I haven’t seen in others. We’re here for 70, 80, 90 years. How can we be so concerned about bigger cars and houses?”

It’s a big question. Reassuringly for Bernhard he believes he knows the answer. Me? I’m just trying to get to grips with the question. Nothing changes.

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