Bernhard Langer is one of golf’s legendary figures. In fact, I think it’s very difficult to talk about the history of the sport without detailing his accomplishments.
Langer is a two-time Masters champion, winning the 1985 Green Jacket by defeating Seve Ballesteros and Raymond Floyd. Eight years later, he escaped the tournament with a four-stroke victory.
He was scheduled to make his final Masters appearance last week. Unfortunately for him, an Achilles tendon injury derailed that. However, his recovery is on track for Augusta National in 2025.
But beyond his success at the Masters, Langer is also one of only five players to win professional golf tournaments on six continents.
He ranks second all-time on the European Tour with 42 wins. The German native has won on the PGA Tour, Asian Tour and has won the PGA Tour Champions with his 46 titles, the most in history.
It’s no exaggeration to say that he is someone to listen to when it comes to important matters in the world of sports.
Fortunately, I was given the opportunity to spend time with him during the Masters. We talked at length about many hot topics, and Langer got incredibly candid during his exclusive interview with Playing Through.
Golf ball rollback; “too little, too late”
One of the most talked about topics among golf fans is how the golf ball rolls.
Golf’s two governing bodies, the USGA and R&A, have announced that they will roll back the ball for both pros and amateurs. Although it is not scheduled to go into effect until 2028, Langer still noted how ridiculous the current approach is.
But not for the reasons you might expect.
“I don’t think it makes sense to roll the ball seven or 12 yards back. It’s too little, too late,” Langer boldly said.
“In four years, they’ll already be hitting it seven to 12 yards farther. Roll back that much and we’ll be where we are now. In three or four more years, we’ll be back at this problem. You will have to face it.”
As the 66-year-old further elaborates, athletes in every sport are getting bigger, stronger and faster. It’s not going to stop.
Combine that with advances in technology and learning “the perfect spin rate, launch angle, speed training, and nutrition,” and players will simply continue to hit farther.
“If they’re going to roll the ball back, roll it wide. Seven to 12 yards doesn’t do anything for the game of golf long term,” Langer said.
However, he acknowledged how complex the situation is.
No golf ball manufacturer wants to spend tens of millions of dollars on a ball that is only used by professionals. Therefore, the branch was dead on arrival.
But that means an already tough sport for Sunday golfers like you and me becomes even more difficult.
“That’s what’s going to make it difficult for amateurs. The game is already difficult, so now we’re going to make it shorter. That’s going to make it even harder.”
It was refreshing to hear Langer speak so candidly, but it was only made possible thanks to his role at Mercedes-Benz.
Langer Mercedes-Benz: the perfect marriage
Langer is one of Mercedes-Benz’s brand ambassadors. The German automaker has been one of the sport’s longest-running sponsors for decades. As they like to say, focus, tenacity, and concentration of power are the qualities they seek and find in golf, and it matches what they bring to their products every day.
But Langer’s relationship with them, especially how it came about, is pretty great.
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“I won here. [Augusta National] “I signed a contract with the Jaguars in 1985,” Langer said while wearing a green jacket.
“Someone asked, ‘Why do Germans drive British cars when Germany has so many great car manufacturers?'”
“I said, ‘That’s a good question.’ Then I got a call from Mercedes-Benz, we connected, and we’ve been together ever since.”
Mercedes has been a passionate supporter of the sport for a very long time, while also instilling its values.
The automaker recently announced a multi-year partnership with lifestyle golf brand Eastside Golf to build a more inclusive game of golf and increase access and opportunities to play and grow the sport. Together, they supported local community golf, spotlighted HCBU and its golf teams, and recently released a co-branded women’s capsule collection to celebrate women in the game. All of this is part of our efforts to build a more inclusive community around games and engage more people.A new generation of diver golfers and fans..
In a sport full of philanthropy and contribution, Mercedes-Benz is playing its part.
LIV Golf and OWGR questions
Langer also played his part while we were together, pulling no punches.
Of course, we also had to discuss the current state of professional golf. When I asked him what he thought, he gave me one very obvious sentiment, and another that caught my ear.
“Two things are certain.”
“All the pros are making more money, whether they play on the LIV Tour or the PGA Tour. They’re all making more money, so it’s good for everyone involved.” “That’s true,” Langer said matter-of-factly.
Everyone talks about the money LIV players are making. But what is being overlooked is that the PGA Tour’s purses are increasing. No, not to the level of LIV, but Langer is right that the creation of LIV Golf has also increased the pockets of many of his PGA Tour players.
“But the other thing is, it’s not good for the game of golf. It’s divisive and not being able to see the best players compete against each other on a regular basis is bad.”
“The world rankings are also crazy now. Not all the best players are getting world ranking points… They were digging themselves into a trench not too long ago and now they are finding a way out. I have to find it.”
Langer is referring to the fact that the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) system refused to award points to LIV Golf. This led to a sharp drop in the rankings of the majority of Saudi-funded circuits.
But we all know that Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, Cam Smith, and others are the best players on the planet.
Ryder Cup – LIV Golf brings us the Eurostar
Luke Donald was named captain again in 2025 after Europe defeated Team USA in the Ryder Cup in Rome last fall.
This is the first time since the 1990s, when Stefan Gallacher was Team Europe’s captain.
Langer said part of last year’s success was due to LIV Golf.
“Luke had a lot of success last year. If we had guys like Westwood, Garcia, Stenson, guys who weren’t on the LIV Tour, this might not have happened. So it created a little bit of a void.”
That vacuum opened up spots for up-and-coming talent such as Viktor Hovland, Ludwig Aberg, and Nikolai Hodgegaard. Aberg and Hovland have historically embarrassed Team USA and hurt Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka.
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Lately, we’ve been attracting a lot of young talent from Europe. Langer went so far as to point out that the number of German players currently on tour is historically unprecedented.
“Even in Germany we currently have eight or 10 people on tour, which is unheard of.”
“Golf is growing in this part of the world. It’s taken a while, but it’s happening. We’re seeing more and more top European young people coming to attend American universities. You get the best coaching, the best facilities, the best practices, the best games.”
“That made them better at a much younger age.”
In fact, Aberg was 24 years old and almost won the Masters. Hovland is 26 years old and the reigning FedEx Cup champion.
A rising star from across the pond would help set up an incredibly contentious Ryder Cup rivalry for years to come.
Kendall Capps is the senior editor of SB Nation’s Playing Through.For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough On all major social media platforms.
