Augusta, Ga. — Bernhard Langer said years ago he asked if there is an age limit for past champions to be exempt from returning to playing for the Masters.
“You know it knows the time,” he was told.
On Monday, he said that it was clear that it was time for Langer, 67, and the two-time winner of the 1985 and 1993 Green Jacket. His appearance in the 41st Masters will be his last.
“It’s very emotional,” Langer said. “Four decades later, it’s going to be bittersweet. I knew it was time to call it quits as a player.”
Langer dominates the Champions Tour with 47 career victories, including at least one in each of the past 18 years. However, he said during practice on Sunday he realized he wasn’t ready to compete at Augusta National for 7,510 yards again.
“The course is too long, I’m short and short,” he said. “I knew I wasn’t fighting anymore. I probably should have quit because I was driving it a few years ago and couldn’t see the flag.
Langer had planned to be the last of last year, but injured Achilles while playing pickleball in February 2024, and had to skip the tournament and rehabilitate. He said returning to Augusta was a big part of his rehabilitation motivation, but it was difficult to go back to being able to simply stand and walk. The famous hills of Augusta now raise a different test than they did in the past few years.
“I think I’ve been playing competitive golf since last May or so… but most of the time I drive a golf cart,” Langer said. “I walked 18 holes yesterday (in the practice round) and it was totally exhausting and I was able to do it. I’m glad I did it, but it would be really difficult to walk on this terrain for five or six days in a row.”
Langer entered the interview room and joked that it had been a while since he had gone there. He watched a video of the highlights of his career and said he came from Anhausen, Germany, suppressing his emotions.
He joked about the stylish all-red outfit he wore in his first victory in 1985, and he told Tiger Woods he always said, “I was the first person to wear a red shirt, you came later.” He recalled that his wife greeted him eight years later after his second championship, but this time with three children.
“Usually, I’m pretty good compartmentalized, so when I’m in the ropes, my mind becomes a competitor, I play golf and take care of the tasks right in front of my eyes,” he said. “But I look a little emotionally, and the audience will meet my family, my children, my grandchildren, my siblings and other friends who are trying to support me this week.”