Bernhard Langer ready for U.S. Senior Open title defense despite issues from Achilles injury

Bernhard Langer continues to defy the odds.

On February 1, 2024, the two-time Masters champion ruptured his Achilles tendon while playing pickleball and miraculously recovered. Return to PGA Tour Champions Three months later, the injury normally takes 12 months to recover from, but the 66-year-old German is insistent on returning to competition.

After a three-month break, Langer competed in five events, winning both the Legion Tradition and the 2019 World Championships. Principal Charity ClassicHe most recently tied for 21st at the Dick’s Open, but could have done better had he not shot a 3-over 75 in the second round.

But Langer, who gets around in a golf cart, still suffers from some aftereffects from the injury, a fact he acknowledged ahead of this week’s U.S. Senior Open defence at Newport Country Club.

“My feet and ankles are swollen. I’m feeling fatigued. I have limited range of motion in my legs,” Langer said.

“There’s a lot I still have to do. My balance isn’t where I want it to be, my strength isn’t where I want it to be. I think my calf muscles are an inch or two smaller than the other leg. I can’t even stand on my toes. I can do it with my right foot. But only my right foot. I tried with my left foot and it was no good. I’ve got a long way to go, but I’m happy to be playing golf. It’s good to have access to a cart in tournaments. Right now I can’t walk 18 holes for four or five days. I can’t do it. I tried to walk nine holes and it was impossible. That’s where I’m at right now. Hopefully I can get better every week.”

Langer has undoubtedly made progress since his Achilles injury, but his health has allowed him to still compete, and he takes great pride in his fitness.

“You have to be reasonably healthy, otherwise you can’t do what you want to do and swing the way you want to,” Langer added.

“I’m naturally competitive, so I have a healthy drive and I lead a disciplined life. I think that helps me. And the drive to work hard. I’m 66 and a lot of people say to me, ‘Why don’t you retire?’ I could retire, but I love golf and I love to compete. I’m still good enough to compete and win tournaments. If that changes and I feel like I’m competing every week and finishing in the bottom third, then maybe it’s time to retire. Hopefully, I’ll know when it’s time to retire.”

Langer continues to rank highly on the PGA Tour Champions Tournament despite many of his competitors being 10 to 15 years younger than him, but thanks to his healthy lifestyle, he has no plans to slow down.

He doesn’t drink alcohol and he doesn’t smoke.

Instead, Langer works out and stretches every day, just like Gary Player did for years. He’s been doing it for as long as he can remember.

“When you move your body, it functions better,” Langer explained.

Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images

“If you continue to live a sedentary lifestyle, sooner or later you will pay the price. I consulted a physiotherapist and he said, ‘If you are bedridden in a hospital for two weeks, how much strength do you think you will lose if you do nothing for just two weeks? 50 percent.’ I was shocked. Hearing this motivated me to work harder, to do something every day instead of just lying in bed for several days in a row.”

Despite his impressive fitness regime, was Langer concerned about his body’s ability to function after injury?

Of course I did.

But two months after the surgery, Langer’s surgeon and physiotherapist approached him and said, “We think you might want to try and putt and chip a little bit.”

He was then able to hit shots of 50 and 100 yards, and after a week or two, his medical team cleared him to try full swings with his driver and irons.

“I hit some wedges and it was fine. If I can hit a full wedge, I can hit a full 7-iron. I can hit a full 7-iron and it’s fine. I can grab a 3-iron and it’s fine. The next day I picked up a driver and I had no problem swinging that club,” Langer said.

Photo: David Berding/Getty Images

“But initially, I was really worried about changing my swing because of the injury, and I didn’t want to do that. I didn’t want to come back too quickly and create a new swing that probably wasn’t as good as it was before, and then have to spend weeks or months redoing what I’d taught myself and gotten good at it.”

Langer then headed to the driving range with his swing coach.

“I don’t want to change my swing,” Langer told his coach.

“I want to swing like I used to. If my body doesn’t allow it, I won’t play.”

Langer and his coach took a look at his swing and it looked perfectly fine.

“Because I couldn’t walk, getting a golf cart was a big boost in terms of being able to practice and compete,” Langer added.

“If they give me a golf cart, I can actually go to the tournament.”

Not only is Langer able to play, he continues to compete against the best senior players on the planet as if he had never suffered this injury in the first place.

Still, Langer believes he can win the U.S. Senior Open, an incredible feat given the circumstances, and it would go down as one of the most unlikely victories in U.S. Senior Open history.

But should we be surprised?

Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.