When Bernhard Langer won his first green jacket in 1985, only one other player on the first page of the 2016 Masters leaderboard was alive. Now? The 58-year-old German and two-time champion has a chance to walk in one of the final pairings on Sunday after firing one of the best rounds in the field over the windy, brutal last two days in eastern Georgia. And he could make history in the process.
Bernhard Langer is chasing Masters history at 58 years old
The German machine is still running at 58, making a move inside the top five at Augusta and putting himself in good position to become the oldest major winner ever -- by 10 years!
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If he takes home his third green jacket tomorrow, Langer would shatter the mark for oldest player to ever win a major championship. Julius Boros holds that mark now, having won the 1968 PGA Championship at the age of 48 -- a full ten years younger than Langer. It’s reminiscent of the 2009 British Open, when a 59-year-old Tom Watson had a makeable putt to win the tournament on the 72nd hole.
Despite the unlikelihood of someone his age contending at Augusta, Langer’s success here shouldn’t be completely stunning to those who follow golf. He’s been largely dominant on the senior tours, and his game has aged well. Still, Langer’s nearly 60. He’s giving up 20-25 yards off the tee even to a player like Jordan Spieth, who isn’t known for his length. Langer noted in his post-round interview with Jim Nantz that he was hitting 3-woods into holes where Jason Day, the world No. 1 and his playing partner on Saturday, was hitting 7-irons. That’s the reality for most of the post-50 crowd in major championships. Conditions are expected to lighten up and favor scoring tomorrow, and it will be interesting to see if Langer can keep up should one or more of the young guns take it deep into red numbers.
But he’s been able to hang around and linger by using his knowledge of the track, his short game, and some Old Dude Magic -- like this chip he was able to hole on the 14th that got him to 1-under.
Watch Bernhard Langer chip in from more than 40 feet on No. 14 to move into a tie for third. #themasters https://t.co/BToNJmAwDu
— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 9, 2016
There’s a glut of young superstars near the top of the leaderboard that are all less than half Langer’s age. But if he’s able to pull off a win? It’d make for one of the greatest stories not only in the history of golf -- but in all of sports, ever. Some of your elderly major champions:
| Player | Age | Year | Major won |
| Julius Boros | 48 | 1968 | PGA Championship |
| Old Tom Morris | 46 | 1867 | Open Championship |
| Jack Nicklaus | 46 | 1986 | Masters |
| Hale Irwin | 45 | 1990 | U.S. Open |
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