THE SENIOR OPEN PRESENTED BY ROLEX

July 20, 2022

Bernhard Langer

PGA Centenary at Gleneagles

Press Conference

MATT JOULE: Good morning,Bernhard, welcome to the Senior Open here

at Gleneagles. As the most successful man in the history of this

tournament, how much do you look forward to it year on year?

BERNHARD LANGER: Very much so, we don’t get a chance to play much

links golf and most of the time this tournament is played on a links

course. I’ve just grown to really enjoy links as a way of playing the

game. Even though we are not always on links courses; this tournament

does a great job of putting on a fantastic event. It is always fairly set up

it seems, challenging but playable. I walked around yesterday, and I

noticed yesterday I think the last time I was here was 30 years ago. A

lot of the holes have been lengthened dramatically.

For senior golf, it seems pretty long, I don’t know how it plays. There are some carries of

255 over bunkers, for some of us it’s a challenge. I know there are

probably 30 or 40 guys who don’t worry about that, but there are

probably 40 or 50 guys who struggle getting there.

MATT JOULE: And how is the game?

BERNHARD LANGER: The game is okay. Putting hasn’t been great, so

working on that, but everything else is pretty decent.

Q: You mentioned 30 years ago, some of the memories of the

memories and being here, the Bells Scottish Open, it was a great event

back then.

BERNHARD LANGER: It always was a great event, I’ve always enjoyed

playing in Scotland. Scotland and Ireland the people just know the

game, everyone seems to play it, the butcher, the baker, anybody has a

golf bag, in the house or the back yard somewhere. They are very

knowledgeable, and it is just fun playing in front of them, it is a great

atmosphere and a wonderful experience.

Q: Was this a course you thought you did well on back then?

BERNHARD LANGER: I don’t recall, I think I have only played here maybe

two tournaments if that. I think I was in the running once, maybe twice;

my memory is not the best when you go way back. I remembered when

people ask me what Gleneagles is like, I say it is a beautiful setting, you

have lots of hills and side hill lies and some blind shots, which is unusual

for a parkland course.

Q: Bernhard, do you ever at night if you are trying to sleep, you probably

sleep well, do you ever go through a litany of all the tournaments you

have won and could you do that?

BERNHARD LANGER: Maybe I should (laughter)… I usually go through my

day and go through the last 18 holes I have played and go well what did I

do wrong here, did I think wrong here, did I think wrong, did just miscue,

what are the issues, what could have I done better. But I like your idea

(laughter), I might make a note of that. This goes to the area of positive

thinking, like they say you should read God’s word when you wake up

and when you go to bed and that would be another positive think to do,

thanks.

Q: You do have a phenomenal record in this event, even though you

are getting older, you still come here looking to win, there is no doubt

about that?

BERNHARD LANGER: Absolutely, I’m hoping not to be just a number out

there. I’m hoping to be in contention, to have a chance to win that is just

my nature. When the time comes when I am playing for 50th or 80th spot

every week, then it is time to hang it up.

Q: You’ve seen a lot in the game over the years. What is

your view on what is going on at the moment across the game?

BERNHARD LANGER: It’s hard to really put into words for me. I’m not

really involved, it doesn’t affect me. I didn’t get a multi-million offer from

LIV.

(From the floor): Are you sure about that? Do you regret or feel sad about

that?!

BERNHARD LANGER: I’m not even going to answer that (laughter). I

really haven’t read into all the things, I’m not part of the board

discussions on this side of the Atlantic or the other, so I really wasn’t

involved. I’m just reading what you guys write and what I hear from the

media or colleagues. It is in a way concerning, in another way, some

people might thing it is exciting, I don’t know if that is the right word. I

think some of my colleagues will make a lot more money in the future.

That is the outcome. That is debatable whether that is great for the game

or not. We can compare it with other sports where they have had I don’t

know something similar happen in certain sports, but not in many. I

think we had a wonderful product, a lot of history. I don’t think many of

us would be complaining with the living we have made from this game so

far. I

mean if you go back 40 or 50 years ago when Jack Nicklaus and Arnold

Palmer were playing, they certainly didn’t make that much money

considering how good they were in the game, right?

Q: I know this is an if, but if the Open Champion and the Ryder Cup

captain go this week or soon is that bad, what message is that sending

out?

BERNHARD LANGER: There is a lot of messages going out, this way and

that way and there is a lot of arguments. But again, I don’t really want to

comment to much on it. Bottom line is we a re professional, we do this

for a living. If someone gets injured or hurt or has the yips, nobody

takes care of them right. That is the other side of the argument, we are

not employed by anyone we are what do you call us…..independent

contractors, there you go. And if we don’t perform, we are gone and we

are history, and nobody cares about us. You might here the argument

from some of the players that they need to take their family and myself,

I’ve got to make the money while I can, while I’m hot, while I’m good,

while I am healthy and that may only last 3 years. But then you have

the whole other side where you say how can this be good for golf?

How can this be good for the next generation? How can this be

promoting the game? But again, I don’t know all the facts so I shouldn’t

really be saying anything, that is the bottom line. I am just spectating,

watching on and seeing where it goes. I was very happy with what we

had before? (Interjection from floor)

Q: When you… sorry…you go ahead?

BERNHARD LANGER: But I don’t really want to take about LIV, I want to

talk about the Senior Open Championship, appreciate it.

Q: This is my first Senior event, so I am quite excited and for the first

time you have an Indian in the Senior Open field, with Jeev Milkah

Singh. First question, how do you keep motivating yourself after so

many years and second have you ever seen or spoken with or played

with India’s Jeev Milkah Singh?

BERNHARD LANGER: Yes, I’ve done both. I’ve met him, spoken to him

and played with him. It is great to have a world class golfer come from

India. There will be many more, I am convinced of that. To the

question of motivation, I have never had a problem motivating myself.

Maybe that is part of my background, where I grew up from a very poor

family, to having grown up with hard work and just trying to be the best I

can be. But that has never been an issue. If that becomes an issue,

again it is time to play less or just stop. You can’t be very good if you

are not motivated. For one that drops out there is a hundred guys to

jump in and take your spot, so you’ve got to be motivated, you’ve got to

be hard working to be at the top of this game at all times.

Q: Is there a trick to being motivated, what would you do if one of your

friends came to you and said I just haven’t got any motivation at the

moment?

BERNHARD LANGER: I don’t think there is a trick. You just have to ask

yourself why you are doing this. I love what I am doing. And God has

given me a great gift to be very good, naturally and you put hard work

with it and that usually produces some good fruit.

Q: Have you ever fallen out of the game; I mean when you were

struggling?

BERNHARD LANGER: Yeah, there were a few days, when I had the yips

severally. You know you play out there in front of thousands and millions

of people on camera and you are making a fool out of yourself that is not

fun. But those times were very few and far between. I’ve been a pro

now for 50 years and that is a long time and I’ve had far more good

years than bad ones.

Q: Presumably you thought this was some kind of test send to you so

that you would just get through it?

BERNHARD LANGER: I didn’t know what to think. I just preserved and I

became a believer and read the bible and it says you should persevere,

and we can learn a lot from it. The one time I was really thinking of

maybe giving up the game was in 1989, I went through a very difficult

spell. I came away with sort of an answered prayer saying I am not

done with you yet, continue. That was the message I got from I call

God, I would say that was the message I heard from God, you might say

you are crazy talking directly to God. Anyway, I preserved and found a

way to putt better and now we are what 33 years later and it has been

an amazing 33 years.

MATT JOULE: Thank you, Bernhard, for your time. Good luck this week.