THE SENIOR OPEN PRESENTED BY ROLEX

July 24, 2024

Bernhard Langer

Carnoustie Golf Links

Press Conference

Q. I imagine this is one of those events that you circled on the calendar, the Senior Open Championship. How much are you looking forward to teeing it up again?

BERNHARD LANGER: Oh, very much so. It's definitely one of the highlights every season.

Obviously we all play to win majors, and this is the only one on this continent.

Yeah, it's usually part of my calendar if I'm healthy, and I'm glad to be back here at Carnoustie.

Q. You've won this tournament four times during your career. Can you sum up what it means to be a Senior Open winner?

BERNHARD LANGER: Well, as I said when I won my first one, it's the next best thing. So if you can't win an Open Championship, at least you won a Senior Open.

You know, it's played many times on a links course. Reminds me of The Open Championship when I play against the same guys I played 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago. You're still playing against the best in your age group, and it's always a challenge and a test.

It's very meaningful to the guys to win a senior major or a Senior Open.

Q. The field seems to get stronger and stronger each year. Does it still have the same excitement for you when you tee it up and play against these guys?

BERNHARD LANGER: Oh, yeah, it certainly does. Just to give you an example, some of the us in America have the ADA, the American Disability Act, and I'm on there right now with my torn Achilles', and so we get a golf cart in America. Probably right now, about eight or ten of us, including Vijay Singh and Paul Broadhurst and John Daly to mention a few, and most of them didn't get one here.

But they still made the trip and still try to walk, even though it's painful and it's difficult, and some of us aren't even sure we're going to make it to tell you the truth. I haven't walked four times 18 holes, well, since last year, not since my injury. I've only walked twice 18 holes. I'm not sure I can do it but I hope I can.

Q. You probably haven't had the competitive reps would you have hoped for. How do you think the game is?

BERNHARD LANGER: The game is not too bad, really. Just the walking is a problem. So I can make swings and rotate on my leg.

I can't practise as much as I'd like to because of the swelling that occurs every single day and then later in the day, it just gets really stiff and immobile, you know, when the ankle swells up and the foot is hard to move and to walk. Sometimes my swing gets worse as the day goes on. That's not helpful.

So I need to be patient with that. But as far as it goes, my golf hasn't been that bad considering what I've been through.

Q. You have a bit of history at this golf course and the course itself has a bit of a reputation, not today, fair weather expected for the rest of the week. How do you think it will play?

BERNHARD LANGER: The forecast calls for more wind, 10 to 20, and always when they say ten to 20, it always feels more on the coast because you're so unprotected and so wide open. There's no trees no, buildings to block any of the wind, and it's a heavy wind.

It's a cold air. So it affects the ball a lot more than playing in Florida, for instance, or in the desert.

So it's going to be a good test. There's a lot of rough out there. Plenty of bunkers, and the pin positions always make it interesting.