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It's been exactly 50 years since Bernhard Langer made his pro debut in Portugal. He's back
VILAMOURA, Portugal — To say things have changed a bit since the first time Bernhard Langer played professional golf in this country is to say a mouthful.
Langer started as a German teaching pro when he was 15, working that gig until he was 18. When he decided to become a touring pro, he made his debut at none other than the Portuguese Open, back in 1976. On Wednesday, he looked out at the revamped and remodeled Els Club Vilamoura ahead of the PGA Tour Champions' first-ever foray into Portugal and marveled at the long, strange trip it's been.
Known for remaining ever-present and focused, even Langer was waxing poetic about his pro golf journey with the Portugal Invitational slated to begin on Friday.
"It's been an incredible 50 years, a very long career, long ride traveling the whole world and many other things," Langer said. "Many ups and downs, but playing on the European Tour, now living in America, playing the U.S. Champions Tour and playing all over the world. But it all started right here, 1976, so 50 years ago."
Portugal holds memories for Langer
With his 69th birthday less than a month away, Langer is still competitive on the senior circuit, making all 11 cuts in events he's played this year, and finishing in the top 25 in all but four of those starts.
But when he first came to Portugal, he infamously slept in his car as his wallet was as tight as his current workout regimen. And it was his personal car, because his age made it difficult to fly in and rent a vehicle on the premises.
"I had very little money and the prize money was very low. We had to, there were no courtesy cars, no range balls, no food. You had to buy everything and bring everything yourself," Langer said. "It was extremely difficult playing on Tour, just getting from one place to another because I couldn't even rent a car, I was too young. You had to be 21 or 25 and I was 18.
"It was challenging, but it was a brand new experience. It was exciting for me as difficult as it was. Driving from Munich to here was, I think, two-and-a-half thousand kilometers and I drove it here to play the Portuguese Open and then the Spanish Open and Madrid Open. That's a long drive. Your body feels stiff and out of whack and sleeping in the car wasn't the best. Couldn't afford a caddie, so I was pushing and pulling my own trolley.
"Things were difficult in those days, but it made you probably work even harder to succeed and to become successful."
He has, of course, become incredibly successful. The World Golf Hall of Famer has a pair of Masters titles as part of his staggering 162 professional wins that have come all over the globe.
More: Ernie Els' new course in Portugal offers dramatic backdrop for PGA Tour Champions
Bernhard Langer's PGA Tour Champions dominance
Category Total Wins 47 (record) Career Earnings $38.6 million (record) Cuts Made 385 of 387 Charles Schwab Cup titles 6 (2010, 2014-16, 2018, 2020-21) (record) PGA Tour Champions money titles 11 seasons (record) PGA Tour Champions Player of the Year awards 9 (record)
Langer excited to see countries added
And he hasn't slowed much, even though he admits now that the goal is typically to reach the top 10, rather than win. The PGA Tour Champions all-money leader ($38,617,134) has 47 wins but also 43 second-place finishes, 29 thirds, 156 top-5s and 241 top-10s, with 11 of the victories in senior majors.
And he's happy to see the tour adding another country to its resume, especially one he has such a fondness for. While others might get travel-weary at his age, Langer sees more worldwide jaunts in the future and he's excited about the prospects.
"I think it's fantastic. We're branching out," Langer said. "We've had a tournament in Japan and one in Morocco several times. We played in Korea and now it's first time in Europe. Maybe there's more in the future, who knows, because there's no doubt the best senior players are in America. Anybody that's really, really good over 50, they want to play on the Champions tour. We have the most money, the best courses and that's where everybody is.
"I could foresee in the future that we have maybe two or three tournaments a year and some overseas as well, other places."
Now an empty-nester, no plans to slow down for Langer
Another win, this time in Portugal, would certainly add an interesting asterisk to his resume, especially since it's where he started his pro career, but either way, Langer is still enjoying the journey, the prep time and even the way the Champions tour fills his calendar. Now that he's an empty-nester, Langer is as eager as ever to hit the range and course.
"The children are out of the house, so I actually have more time now than I ever had in my life. Before it was being a full-time playing professional, full-time dad, full-time husband," he said. "There was a lot on my plate and differentthings when I came home. Now I have a lot more time. And it's fun. It's a different season. I enjoy playing with the grandkids when I get home, but I still enjoy competing out here. The camaraderie we have with all these guys out here is phenomenal, it's fantastic.
"We've been friends for, some of them I've known for over 50 years, some of them 30 or 20 years. You create friendships and it's great to hang out together."
Tim Schmitt is the managing editor for Golfweek .
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: It's been exactly 50 years since Bernhard Langer made his pro debut in Portugal. He's back
Bernhard LangerPortugalLangerGermanPortuguese OpenOn WednesdayEls Club VilamouraPGA Tour ChampionsKnownPortugal InvitationalManyEuropean Tour
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