CHUBB CLASSIC PRESENTED BY SERVPRO

February 12, 2025

Bernhard Langer

Tiburón Golf Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, we are now joined by Bernhard Langer here at the Chubb Classic. Five-time winner here. Won your last two appearances; missed last year. Just to start, how does it feel to be back?

BERNHARD LANGER: It's wonderful to be back at one of my favorite courses. Had a lot of success here. Was very sad to have missed it last year. Tore my Achilles just a couple of weeks before and there was no way I was going to play golf.

It's great to be back again. Almost feels like a home game, just similar conditions to where I live two hours east from here in Boca Raton.

Yeah, it's good test. It's narrow, it's tight, got to be very precise, and that usually plays more into my game than a bomber's golf course where it's wide open and you hit it as far as you can and find it.

So that's probably why I had some success here.

Q. The last time we saw you out here was Waialae a few weeks ago. What have you been doing since then?

BERNHARD LANGER: Playing with my grandkids. That's a priority. Working out and did some practicing as well. That was, yeah, most of my time was spent in those three areas. Just enjoying some time off.

Q. If you include PNC Championship, last three times you've gone first, first, second. What would you pinpoint as one thing that has been the big key to those results recently?

BERNHARD LANGER: Obviously ball striking is important, but the putter has been working a little better than most weeks. So at the Schwab Cup I putted really well. The PNC we had a stretch when my son putted good and then Sunday I played and putted good. Hawai'i I played really well and putted decent, yeah.

Q. Going back here this year with not playing last year, is your preparation for this week or in Hawai'i or on the Tour in general, is it different? Is there anything different now post-Achilles or pretty much the same?

BERNHARD LANGER: It's pretty much the same. I mean, I hadn't done a lot of walking. Hadn't done a lot of walking 18 holes the last 12, 13 months. Use my cart a lot.

One of my goals this year is to walk more and more hopefully as I'm healed up and just to push myself. Right now I often get a little tired after nine holes, so just starts to ache a little bit and wear out.

I just got to build up that endurance to be on my feet for six hours for the warm up, standing, walking constantly for six hours in a row.

Q. Overall PGA TOUR Champions question for you. You're going for your sixth win here. Going for a record-tying sixth win here. On PGA TOUR Champions with all the wins you've had, your popularity, I mean, you are a fan favorite at almost every event you go to here in the States. Has that popularity, is it oops similar or is it different compared to when you played on the PGA TOUR?

BERNHARD LANGER: I think it has increased over the years. I think when I played on the PGA TOUR I didn't quite have the following that I do now. People recognize what I've done the last 50 years or 40 years, whatever. I'm more on television now than I was when I played the PGA TOUR.

So I'm just more recognizable. People have seen me around for a long time, so when you mention Bernard Langer, many golfers know who you're talking about. It's not, who is that? Where is he from?

All of that success and longevity has helped in the name recognition area.

Q. What are some of the memories that stand out in your five wins?

BERNHARD LANGER: Some of them were on different courses.

Q. Yeah.

BERNHARD LANGER: And not sure. I mean, I remember two years ago my daughter and grandson was here and that was really special, you know, having them be a part of it.

Usually I have some family with me because it's an easy commute. So it's always great to have family and friends present and enjoy the great moments, the celebrations and the victories, which in golf it doesn't happen very often.

If you win a couple a year it's a great year obviously. It's not like tennis or some other sports that are dominated by two or three people and they win on a regular basis.

Q. Talked a little bit about what the course. Talk about what you've seen on the course, how the course is this week, and how it plays to your game.

BERNHARD LANGER: Yeah, the course is in great shape to start off with. Greens are phenomenal, which is the biggest part for us. If the greens and fairways are good we're usually very happy.

This course in particular is very narrow; a lot of trouble left and right almost every tee shot. It's not just bunkers. It's often out of bounds or penalty areas, water hazards as we used to call them.

On many, many holes you have to hit the ball straight. The greens, some of them are very small so you've got to be pretty precise. And with the irons as well, the distance control and the direction.

I could even reach one or two of the par-5s, which is not always the case because of my lack of distance these days compared to 20 years ago. So all that favors me a little bit more on my game I should say than some of the courses we play where the bombers have a huge advantage.

They can hit driver on every hole and they're 40 yards past me, or 50, they're going to hit six putts less into the green and reach every par-5 and make eagles where I struggle to make birdie, that kind of thing.

So that's not as much the case on this golf course. That's why I say I have more chance to be in contention or pull off a W.

Q. Last one from me. So this is the 38th year of this tournament. As you mentioned, it's been on a lot of courses. Won on almost every single one of them. Chubb is also the longest running title sponsor. There is a lot of title sponsors on the PGA TOUR Champions that are long, long running sponsors. When you see that consistency of title sponsors like Chubb, like Mitsubishi Electric at the beginning of the year, what does that mean to you guys as a player to basically continue your legacy and continue to do what you do and play for the love of the game?

BERNHARD LANGER: I think it makes us feel good about our brand because it shows that we have sponsors that appreciate what we bring to the table. It's good for their brand to be seen with our brand.

To have longevity like some of the companies we have just shows it works for both parties. That's always a thrill. It's never much fun to have a sponsor do one or two years and then leave and you have to look for somebody else.

So it's, you know, my hat is off to Chubb and congrats on 38 in a row. That's pretty awesome. Hopefully we can do many more.