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U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 26, 2015

Bernhard Langer

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

THE MODERATOR: We're now joined by Bernhard Langer, who shot a 4 under, 66, and is 3 under for the Championship.

Q. Better day today?
BERNHARD LANGER: Yes. Played better to start off with, hit a lot more fairways, more greens, more solid shots, and putted better. Yesterday was really a day where I made one putt on 18 from 15 feet and one putt on the 1st hole from about 6 feet, and that was pretty much it putting-wise. And I hit a few awkward or wayward tee shots yesterday. Today was a little bit better until the last few holes. I started spraying it again. So I need to get my swing in order, really. I played really good two weeks ago and trying to do the same thing, but it's not working the whole day. Yesterday, I started off spraying it and then found it basically towards the end. Today, I started off really well and then started hitting it sideways sort of the last three or four holes. That's going to punish you here sooner or later.

Q. You shot a bogey-free round, I believe.
BERNHARD LANGER: Yeah, the short game was good. Just really hit a couple of bad tee shots on 8 and 9. That was pretty much it. Up until then, it was pretty solid. 8, I hit a great recovery shot. 9, I got it on the green twice. Got away with that. You don't want to play golf that way. You like to hit fairways and greens and give yourself opportunities.

Q. Is Terry ready to go tomorrow?
BERNHARD LANGER: I haven't been able to call him. I was told to be in here right away. You guys are a priority. I can't call my wife or my caddie.

Q. Is he laid up? He's not able to walk 18?
BERNHARD LANGER: He's not able to walk 18, yeah, and you have to. I don't know if he's here. I think he'd be in his hotel room putting his feet up.

Q. Working with Bobby, a former club pro, that's -- in a way, if you have to suddenly get a caddie, you took the best of the best, really?
BERNHARD LANGER: I fully agree. I didn't know what to expect, really, because two hours before your tee time, you're trying to find a caddie. It's not easy. Caddies are not standing around and spending money waiting for somebody to get hurt or whatever. So I was very fortunate to find Bobby. He's a wonderful guy, great gentleman, and we loved being out there together. Had a good time. Obviously, I can't expect from him to club me or do any of that, so I get known yardages. I play in meters. He has no clue what a meter is to start off with. I'm doing my own yardages and my own clubbing. We discuss the putting line and little details on the green here and there, and he's very encouraging. That's really all I need. I've won tournaments with my kids, who can't help me at all, and other people who are just kind of bag carriers. So I'm used to kind of running my own show, even though I enjoy asking another pair of eyes what they see or what they think.

Q. Your kids don't work in meters either, do they?
BERNHARD LANGER: They probably could, but they don't. They grew up over here in the school system.

Q. The specifics of the insect bite that Terry got?
BERNHARD LANGER: I don't know the specifics. They don't know what it is exactly. Just the leg swelled up big-time. It was painful. He's got an infection, inflammation. He took a drip. They put him on an IV drip yesterday to get the antibiotic into the system faster. Now we're just hoping for the swelling and the whole reaction to go down so he can walk again and go back to normal life.

Q. Playing in the afternoon heat yesterday, and then starting in the morning, do you think it's an advantage to go morning on the day of the cut as opposed to vice versa?
BERNHARD LANGER: It's pretty much the same. The afternoon is definitely harder. It was brutally hot yesterday. I don't enjoy that kind of heat. Plus the greens get a little firmer. And with some of the pins we're having out there, it's hard to stop the ball, especially when you come out of the rough. So it's definitely a little bit harder. It was really nice this morning until about 10:00, 10:30, and then it got pretty warm again.

Q. Bernhard, Pat Tallent was saying how much he enjoyed playing with you and Monty. What was your impression of Pat Tallent?
BERNHARD LANGER: I enjoyed being with him. He loves the game. Very much aware of everything. I can see that he's a wonderful player. He just didn't play his best this week. He's got, for the most part, a pretty repeatable golf swing, and the putting stroke's not all too bad either. I can see that he's a very accomplished player and can win big championships.

Q. A bunch at the leaderboard. Looks like it's kind of hard to separate. Your round puts you in that mix. Just your assessment of --
BERNHARD LANGER: It's early days. We still, we don't know what the guys do this afternoon. And it's difficult to go really low here because you're hitting a lot of long shots into some firm greens and tough pins. And if you miss the green, it's not easy out of the rough to get it up and down. If you miss the fairways off the tee, it's not easy to get the ball on the green. So it's hard to go really low. So you can imagine it's going to be bunched up probably until the very end.

Q. I know you're not happy with the ban on the anchor putting. Is it possible for you to adjust just enough to where your hands are away from your body?
BERNHARD LANGER: I haven't really tried that. That's what Scott McCarron said he would do. I talked to him a couple days ago when I played a practice round. But to me, it seems like it may just move a little more, the whole thing. I just don't understand why we're banning it 80 years later. It's as simple as that.

Q. Is it 80 years? I know 40 years.
BERNHARD LANGER: Yeah, it goes way back. They have a picture in the L.A., whatever, Riviera Clubhouse, where somebody was using it in 1926 or something like that. So whether it's 40 or 80, even if it's 20, it's too long.

Q. Have you always used it?
BERNHARD LANGER: No. I've used it about 18 years, but it's a long time. But the issue is, the real issue is if it was easier to putt with a long putter, wouldn't everybody use it? That's my issue.

Q. Especially on the Champions Tour, you would think?
BERNHARD LANGER: Anywhere. If it's easier, they would all use it. They all want to win tournaments. They all want to play well, right? Who is using a big-headed driver? I don't see any big-headed drivers anymore. Why? Because it's easier with a metal driver. Who's using hybrids? I don't see any 1 irons anymore, no 2 irons anymore. Maybe one. Why? Because it's an advantage. So if it's an advantage to use a long putter or anchor it, why aren't they all anchoring it? Because it's not an advantage.

Q. You're making too much sense.
BERNHARD LANGER: I'm trying to make sense. You asked me, so you get an answer. But you don't want to hear it. So that's okay because it doesn't really affect it anyway. It's a foregone conclusion here. And even though the PGA Tour was against it, the PGA of America was against it, they still went ahead with it. We're trying to grow the game, aren't we? Has that grown the game? Taking clubs away from amateurs that are trying to enjoy the game, now they can't use those clubs anymore, has that grown? I'm just throwing it out there.

Q. Good point. Is there any recourse? Have you looked into any kind of -- I guess if they say no, the only recourse is not to play. Have you looked into legal or --
BERNHARD LANGER: Oh, no, I have not. But if you look into suing, who do you sue? The PGA Tour? I would have to sue the PGA Tour, because I'm part of the PGA Tour, but the PGA Tour didn't make the rule. The RNA and the USGA made the rule. Now the PGA Tour would have to sue the RNA and the USGA so it becomes very complicated. It's not good for the game. I don't want to sue anybody. I'd just like for the game to make sense and get the people out there to have fun and enjoy it and grow the game, not hurt the game. But I've said too much. Get me off here. Thank you.
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