AUGUSTA, Ga. — For Bernhard Langer, finding faith happened around Amen Corner.
In 1985, this golfer from Germany secured his first green jacket at Augusta National. He mentioned Jesus` name during the winner`s interview at Butler Cabin and then experienced a spiritual awakening at a Bible study in Hilton Head, South Carolina, a few days later. In 1993, he won his second Masters on Easter Sunday at what some consider the most important church in American golf.
`This tournament had a deeper meaning for me than most can understand, especially spiritually,` Langer, now 67, reflected on Friday.
He spoke in the past tense because a bogey resulted in him missing the cut in his 41st and final Masters as a participant.
When Langer finished the 18th hole on Friday, it marked the end of a remarkable Masters career. His initial victory occurred when the 27-year-old, hailing from a small German village, became only the third international champion, following South Africa`s Gary Player and Spain`s Seve Ballesteros. His second green jacket came eight years later in 1993. He achieved seven top-10 finishes, including one in 2014, and even in 2020, he finished under par, tying for 29th at 3-under.
Langer`s long career spanned a significant change in golf equipment: he is the last major winner to use a persimmon driver.
John Daly won the PGA Championship at Crooked Stick in 1991 using a Kevlar-headed Cobra driver, and Jose Maria Olazabal won the 1994 Masters with a larger TaylorMade metal driver.
The memories of Langer`s past triumphs brought about a sense of nostalgia. As part of his Augusta farewell, the Champions Tour, where Langer has been dominant since age 50, shared a video. In it, Langer first showed the Texan driver by Texas Golf Co. he used to win 32 years prior. Then, he presented his most unique club, inspired by that victory.
`They gave me a very special gift,` Langer explained. `The owner hand-painted this for me. It’s one of their drivers, depicting ‘The Last Supper’ with Jesus and the twelve disciples. Hand-carved. A truly unique piece.`
Nearly 2,000 miles away in Jalisco, Mexico, Dave Wood was amazed.
Wood is a versatile individual. Growing up in Hollywood, California, as the son of a golf professional and instructor, he attended the California Institute of the Arts, a top visual arts school. He was recruited to play golf at the University of Houston but left after a year, graduating instead from the Glassell School of Art in Houston. Still a skilled golfer, he began combining his passions by experimenting with club design. He found mentors in golf legends Jackie Burke and Jimmy Demaret, both Masters champions from Texas.
This led to the Texas Golf Co. and his innovative Texan driver.
`I was the first to put loft degrees on clubs,` Wood stated. `Now, every club in pro shops has that.`
Wood and Langer met at Riviera Country Club in 1984 and connected immediately. As a competitive golfer, Wood was unique among equipment reps because he understood players` perspectives. Without launch monitors then, Wood relied on feedback from friends like Seve Ballesteros and Greg Norman to refine his products. Long before advanced technology, Wood was pioneering club design through hands-on methods.
He noted that Langer’s testing was exceptionally systematic.
`Bernhard would have his caddie at the end of the driving range with a signal system,` Wood recalled. `Very efficient German engineering. If the ball landed and curved left, the caddie would signal Bernhard what was happening.`
Soon, both their careers flourished.
Demaret and Burke started directing players to Wood. Phil Mickelson and Ben Crenshaw began using his clubs, including the Texan that Mickelson used as an amateur to win the Tucson Open in 1991. In the early 90s, Wood also made one for Langer.
In 1993, Wood was at Augusta from Sunday to Tuesday but then had to fly to Japan. There, at midnight, he watched his friend win the Masters using a club he had crafted.
`If he had failed, I might have broken a Japanese TV,` Wood joked.
He wanted to create something special for both Langer and himself to commemorate the achievement. Knowing Langer’s deep Christian faith and his sensitivity to language, Wood decided to create a Texan driver engraved with `The Last Supper`.
`Leonardo da Vinci was always a major inspiration,` Wood said. `After Bernhard`s Augusta win, that became my goal. It was the ultimate challenge.`
He spent six months working on this special driver, tackling the `porosity` of persimmon wood and engraving on the curved driver head. Once finished, he was so eager to give it to Langer that he forgot to photograph it.
So, when Wood received a text this week from a golf industry friend with the video of Langer showcasing the gift, he was amazed Langer still valued it. It brought back thirty years of memories in golf and the end of an era with a longtime friend finishing his last round.
`It looked exactly as I remembered,` Wood said from his Mexico home. `It’s touching that it still means so much to him, that among all his trophies, he cherishes this one.`
Wood watched on Friday as Langer wore green pants as a tribute to his 1985 win. Fans gave him standing ovations across the course. Wood saw him birdie the 12th, momentarily tying for the cut line, as if Amen Corner might save him again. But Langer then bogeyed the 15th and 18th holes.
`Coming up to the 18th, I had mixed feelings. I was still near the cut line, and even after a bogey, I wasn`t sure if I was out because I thought 3-over might make the cut,` Langer said.
He missed the cut by a single stroke, his putt on 18 just barely missing.
Knowing when to retire is especially challenging in golf. Langer is the most decorated player in PGA Tour Champions history, consistently outperforming younger players well into his sixties. On the right day and course, he can still compete with players half his age. The end can be delayed significantly. For legends, deciding when to stop is often a matter of personal conviction.
Langer has maintained excellent fitness despite an Achilles injury last year. He was very close to becoming the oldest player to make a major cut, matching Sam Snead`s record from the 1979 PGA Championship at age 67. However, Langer aimed higher than just making the weekend.
`I want to be in contention,` Langer stated. `I want to be near the top. I want a chance to win. On this course, I don’t think I can win anymore.`
Langer’s playing partner, amateur Noah Kent, averaged 322.6 yards off the tee on Thursday and Friday, while Langer averaged 253.3 yards per drive.
`I`m hitting very long irons into these greens, making it hard to control the ball,` Langer explained. `This course is designed for medium to short iron shots. The greens are very challenging.`
To compete, Langer had to strategically miss shots and excel at recovery, utilizing lessons from 41 years at Augusta. He did this remarkably well, even questioning if he should reconsider his decision to retire. But now, he affirms he is at peace with it.
After finishing the 18th, with his son Jason caddying, he greeted his wife, four children, and two grandchildren. `Many emotions went through my mind the last two days walking the fairways,` he said. `Friends from around the world walked with me for a few holes. It meant a lot.’ Dave Wood, his old friend in Mexico, understood deeply. Wood`s `Last Supper` driver for Langer was also his own symbolic last creation.
`That was the last persimmon club I ever made personally,` Wood reflected. `I didn`t realize it then. That`s just life.`
Wood watched every shot of Langer’s Friday round, saying he`d never been more invested in a golf round.
`This is it,` Wood said afterward. `The end of our era.`
Masters announcer Jim Nantz, who has covered the tournament since 1989, called Langer `one of the greatest players in Masters history.`
Langer himself considered his legacy in his final press conference after four decades. `How will they remember me? Hopefully, as a good golfer, but also as a man of faith.`
