Pga Senior Tour

Bernhard Langer withdraws from Senior PGA Championship

Two months away from competitive golf - the longest layoff in his 35-year career - ended Langer’s streak of 27 consecutive appearances at the Masters for the two-time champion and left him unable to defend his title at the 2010 Outback Steakhouse Pro Am in Tampa.

“Those were tough weeks to be at home,” he said.

Langer, 53 and living in Boca Raton, has never missed so much time for injury. And this one comes while he’s playing some of his best golf.

In 2010, he won five times, including the Senior Open Championship and U.S. Senior Open, to become the first multiple major champion since Tom Watson in 2003 and the first player to win three straight player of the year awards.

Even with the injury – a torn ligament suffered bike riding last fall - Langer won The ACE Group Classic on Feb. 20 in Naples to give him victories in each of his five years on the tour.

Langer decided on surgery soon after he tied for 28th on March 13 at the Toshiba Classic.

During his down time, Langer maintained his fanatical fitness regimen, but began to putt, chip and hit short wedge shots less than two weeks ago.

On Thursday, Langer began to hit the longer clubs in his bag and immediately experienced discomfort.

“The healing process is anywhere from eight to 12 weeks and this is my eighth week,” he told The Palm Beach Post on Friday. “It was always more wishful thinking than anything else. I’m just not ready.”

Langer now plans to return some time in June.

“It’s hard,” he said. “We’re competitive we want to be out there.”

Tags: Bernhard Langer

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Changing times - myLPGA

It's 1/4 to 1/3 in a good week and that's only part of the story. This week the PGA Tour is at the Colonial playing for $6.2 million while the LPGA Tour is at the Sybase for $1.5 million. That's less than 1/4. Plus the LPGA has been off for almost a month. It's time to start asking not just how the FT ladies do it, but how the LPGA ladies do it. It's 1/4 to 1/3 in a good week and that's only part of the story. This week the PGA Tour is at the Colonial playing for $6.2 million while the LPGA Tour is at the Sybase for $1.5 million. That's less than 1/4. Plus the LPGA has been off for almost a month. It's time to start asking not just how the FT ladies do it, but how the LPGA ladies do it. True, no one in single A baseball is getting rich. But starting salary on the Futures Tour is ... Zero . Actually it's negative money because the players have to pay for their own housing (unless they are lucky to stay with a local family just like many minor leaguers do), transportation, housing, equipment, coaching, clothing, medical expenses, tournament fees, etc. as outlined earlier, and then they don't get paid unless they play and make the cut.

1996 Senior Pga Tour, Official Media Guide of the Senior Pga Tour

Jet

The PGA Senior Tour, 1995

Cincinnati Magazine

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