German star Bernhard Langer shot a final-round, 4-under-par 68 Sunday to complete a wire-to-wire victory at the Chubb Classic in Naples, Fla., for his 43rd title on the PGA Tour Champions.
Langer opened the tournament at Tiburon Golf Club by shooting his age, 64, and followed that performance with two rounds of 68 for a 16-under 200. He finished three shots better than Tim Petrovic, who carded a 69 Sunday.
South Africa’s Retief Goosen (final-round 70) came in third at 12 under, and Brian Gay (69) placed fourth at 10 under.
“It’s great to get off to a good start in the new year, in the new season, and be up there near the top of the Schwab Cup again,” Langer said. “I liked this golf course when I saw it last year. I felt I could win here. It’s not one for the bombers, where you just hit it as far as you can and hit it again. You got to be very precise.”
Langer honed that precision after a bogey on the first hole Sunday. He went on to finish with six birdies and just two bogeys, including a birdie on the par-5 18th with the result no longer in doubt.
Langer is now two wins shy of tying Hale Irwin’s record for most titles on the 50-and-over circuit.
“I’m getting closer now,” Langer said. “Years ago I thought, ‘Yeah, well, that’s almost impossible to reach that.’ Looking back now, I’ve lost a bunch of playoffs the last three or four years. If I had won a couple of those I would be right there.
“I’m just saying it would’ve been possible and creeping closer, but it’s got to happen fairly soon … I can’t wait two or three years.”
Petrovic was the only other golfer in the field to break 70 all three days (66-68-69). He rebounded from consecutive bogeys at the fourth and fifth holes to make four of his five birdies the rest of the way. He had five birdies overall.
Petrovic called Langer’s longevity “unbelievable.”
“Obviously he’s comfortable winning. We already know that,” Petrovic said. “But he’s just efficient. He’s efficient in everything he does: Working out, eating, drinking, practicing.
“He’s not that way because he’s 64. I think he’s been that way his whole life. You know, I wish we had heart monitors on us out there. I want to know what his heartbeat is coming down the stretch. Probably half of what we are.”
–Field Level Media