“That was different for me” - Tiger Woods lauds Bernhard Langer for his longevity at the 2023 PNC Championship

Bernhard Langer won his fifth PNC Championship title with his son Jason on Sunday (December 17). The father-son duo lifted the Willie Park Trophy, a red leather champion's belt, at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando. The win saw Bernhard match Raymond Floyd’s record of having the most wins in the event’s history. Following this, Tiger Woods came out to laud the 66-year-old German’s longevity.

Team Langer recorded birdies on their first seven holes in the final round, carded a score of 13-under 59. Team Langer bagged the $200,000 prize money from the event’s $1.085 million purse. Interestingly, Woods was in awe of the ace golfer’s game. The 15-time major championship winner, who finished T5 in the competition with his son Charlie, said that it’s “more than amazing” to watch Bernhard play.

Woods, who’s always been a cheerleader for the ace German golfer, said that people “don't realize” the work Bernhard puts in to maintain his game.

Speaking about Bernhard Langer at the PNC Championship post-event press conference, Tiger Woods said:

“Seeing him (Bernhard Langer) play, it's more than amazing. The fact that he's able to do everything that he does with his neck and his back, and the fact that he still does it each and every day, he works out each and every day. I think that's what most people don't realize, it's how you have longevity, you train each and every day and he does that. And he's done that consistently.”

Woods further recalled being grouped with Langer at the Johnnie Walker Classic in Thailand.

He added:

“I got a chance to play with him in 1994 to go back that far. To see what he's done since then, and what he does each and every year and what he's battled with on the greens, the different styles he keeps fighting through, it just goes to show the personality, the determination that he has and the type of person he is to be able to stick through everything.”

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Bernhard Langer matches PNC Championship record

Bernhard Langer’s PNC titles have an edge over Raymond Floyd when it comes to longevity. For the unversed, Floyd won five of the first seven PNC Championships ever held. Meanwhile, Bernhard has 18 years between his first and fifth victories.

Langer clinched his first PNC Championship in 2005. The 66-year-old won the event back then with his son, Stefan. The duo repeated the feat in 2006. Later, he won the competition with his daughter, Christina, in 2013 and 2016. He also won with his son, Jason in 2014 and 2019. Now, he’s matched the family team competition’s win record in 2023.

Commenting on the event, Bernhard Langer was quoted as saying by Golfweek:

“Just it’s always special whether you win or not, just being here is like the Olympics. They only take 20 teams and there’s probably 25 on the waiting list that would love to be here. It’s always a wonderful thing to get an invitation to come and play here, and as you all know, I’ve got four kids, played with all four of them, and we have a lot of wonderful memories.”

It is pertinent to note that Langer was one of the oldest players on the 2023 PNC Championship field. However, he looked sharper than most of his competitors.