CHUBB CLASSIC PRESENTED BY SERVPRO

February 18, 2022

Bernhard Langer

Tiburón Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Great day here for a first round 64 at the Chubb Classic. Can we just get your thoughts to start?

BERNHARD LANGER: Yeah, I was very happy with my play. Tee-to-green was extremely solid. Then first few holes I couldn't make a putt, but I was patient. Just waited for my turn and finally got on a nice roll where I made, I don't know, four, five in a row. Some from nice distance. Nothing extremely long, but still 15-footers, it's always good to see them drop.

So I made my share today and kept the ball in play. Was never really in trouble, which was good. The only kind of save I had was on 17 when I hit driver, 2-hybrid a little short, chipped it a little long, but I made about a 12-footer for par.

Q. Second time shooting your age; is that right?

BERNHARD LANGER: Oh, that's right. I forgot that. (Laughter.) No, yeah, second time shooting my age and one time I was one better. There we go. Three times. I should remember that stuff, right? Too caught up in the moment.

Q. Does that number have significance?

BERNHARD LANGER: Not really. It's just fun shooting your age. It was really fun doing it the first time on my actual birthday. It's still special because it's not easy to do.

Yeah, hopefully it gets easier as we get older, but we'll find out. The future will show.

Q. How long was the putt at 18?

BERNHARD LANGER: Four and a half, five feet at the most. Maybe four feet. Not sure.

Q. Was there a highlight in that stretch of five birdies?

BERNHARD LANGER: Yeah, there was -- I hit two drivers off the fairway today and one was really good on, what was that hole, 15? 15 or 14, I can't remember.

Q. Did you get it last year, too?

BERNHARD LANGER: Yeah. Yeah, I hit a beautiful driver off the deck there and got it to about 20 feet from the cup. Missed the eagle putt, but it's nice from that distance to get it on the edge of the green and have a definite birdie.

Then I hit it again, on 18 I hit driver again off the fairway because I couldn't reach with a 3-wood. This time I came up short but made a nice pitch shot and a good putt.

Hit a couple of great 3-hybrids. I can't remember the hole, 12 and 13 maybe. Two really good 3-hybrids. One to about eight feet and one to about twelve feet and made both birdies.

Q. We've asked you about like driver off the deck before and you've kind of explained it, but you're very comfortable doing it. Like how? How so?

BERNHARD LANGER: Yeah, as long as a decent lie. Doesn't have to be a great lie, but if it's a decent lie my driver has nine degrees of loft, so I can still top it every once in a while.

But if I make a decent swing usually gets airborne, and it's a very penetrating flight on firm fairways, or close, low mown fairways the ball runs quite a bit. Especially into the wind it's a great shot, because the 3-wood spins a lot more than the driver, and so when it comes into the wind it climbs and it stops pretty quick.

The driver will still struggle on, run a bit and get more distance out it. The other good thing is driver seems to go fairly straight off the deck. Sometimes a little fade, but very solid. Doesn't go left, so it's a confidence factor, too. You can swing as hard as you want, you know it's not going to go left.

Q. (Indiscernible.)

BERNHARD LANGER: Yeah, I did. Yeah, absolutely. (Indiscernible) were small compared to what we use now. They were too heavy.

Q. Do go into a new season and feel as hungry as ever?

BERNHARD LANGER: Yeah, I think so. I mean, we've had a long break, one tournament in three months, so I think everybody is eager to play. You got a very strong field. I think this tournament and the next two or three you're going to have very strong fields because everybody wants to get back in the action.

And they're good tournaments on top of that.

Q. You mentioned staying patient when the putts weren't falling. Once that first one falls is it a confidence thing or you don't want to get ahead of yourself, oh, well the next one is going to you fall?

BERNHARD LANGER: No, you don't ever want to get ahead of why you self. Never ever. So it's just trying -- I know I'm doing the best I can on every putt, every shot. Sometimes you misread them; sometimes you -- I hit a great putt and left it quarter an inch short online.

It's frustrating, but I didn't do it on purpose, so you just keep trying and trying. Sometimes you get on a run like I did today when you've made nothing for an hour and then everything goes in.

Q. You obviously have an emotional connection to Oakland Hills. Seeing that development yesterday, what was that like?

BERNHARD LANGER: It was sad to see. I mean, it's always sad to see when something burns down because it just seems such a waste and a disaster and so tragic. At least they didn't lose any lives, but I believe a lot of memorabilia in the clubhouse. I know they had some of my stuff and you can't replace some of that.

So that will be gone, and so much history. They had, what, 15, 16 majors there and big tournaments.

Q. Your team room was inside upstairs...

BERNHARD LANGER: Yep.

Q. A lot of memories there.

BERNHARD LANGER: Yeah, absolutely. It'll be different unless they rebuild it the way it was.