Bernhard Langer this week brings down the curtain on a glittering DP World Tour career when he tees it up at the BMW International Open in Munich.
The 66-year-old is making his 513th and final DP World Tour start in Europe at Golfclub München Eichenried, just 60 miles from his hometown of Anhausen, as he closes the chapter on a 50-year career.
Langer was the sport’s first World Number One when the Official World Golf Ranking was introduced in 1986, the year after he won his first of two Green Jackets at the Masters Tournament.
He is the second most successful golfer in DP World Tour history, winning 42 times on what was then the European Tour, only trailing Seve Ballesteros who tops the list with 50. The German has also won three times on the PGA TOUR and is one of only five players to have won professional events on all six continents where golf is played.
The two-time European Number One is also the most successful golfer in over-50s golf history, winning a record 12 Senior Major Championships and over 50 titles in total, including a record 46 victories on PGA TOUR Champions.
He will compete in his final DP World Tour event in front of his home fans and alongside two of his good friends and fellow German golfing greats Martin Kaymer and Marcel Siem, who last week won his sixth title at the Italian Open presented by Regione Emilia Romagna.
The BMW International Open is the final event of the European Swing on the Race to Dubai, with South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence returning to defend the title he won in impressive fashion last year.
Bernhard Langer: said “I’ve never said goodbye to anything so far in terms of golf, this is going to be a first experience and I have a feeling it’s going to be very emotional.
“It means a great deal, just to play in front of the home crowd. And hopefully I can make the cut, but I hear the golf course is a lot longer than it used to be, and that’s a challenge for me.
“I’m getting shorter, and the course is getting longer and that’s not a good combination.
“I grew up about 45 minutes from here. I worked as an Assistant professional 30 minutes from here at Munich Country Club.
“I have a lot of friends, some relatives and just people that have been with me, supported me for many, many years in the game of golf, and obviously I’ve played this tournament many times.”