Could Bernhard Langer compete on the European Tour?

[NBonfield]

Bernhard Langer is 60, but he's won seven times on the Champions Tour this season, he's about the win the Champions Tour Order of Merit for the fourth consecutive year and the fifth time overall and his putting has been sensational of late. Elliott Heath has written a good piece on how his stats compare to those on the European Tour, too: http://www.golf-monthly.co.uk/features/blogs/could-bernhard-langer-win-on-the-european-tour-144658

What do you think? Could Berhard Langer compete on the European Tour? What would happen next season if he were to play on the circuit? Would he lose his card, keep it comfortable or even win?

 

[Jacko_G]

With his new Ping G400 driver anything is possible.

I think not. These young guns have no fear and very few weaknesses, Langer is a HUGE fish in a lucrative small pond. Why would he upset that and risk losing his dominance for a shot on the European Tour where he has nothing to prove? He is a legend in Europe already.

 

[shortgame]

I think he'd keep his card at least

How much longer is the (effective) average European Tour course compared to the Champions Tour, 500 yard? Less?

Pretty sure he could at least compete on the lesser events

 

[shortgame]

Why would he change though? He must be loving cleaning up every year

 

[shortgame]

And (as a smaller fish in a bigger pond) would he be able to anchor on the European Tour

 

[patricks148]

With his new Ping G400 driver anything is possible.

I think not. These young guns have no fear and very few weaknesses, Langer is a HUGE fish in a lucrative small pond. Why would he upset that and risk losing his dominance for a shot on the European Tour where he has nothing to prove? He is a legend in Europe already.

agree with you there Crawford... nothing to prove.

 

[Slab]

I doubt he'd perform well across the season but would get the odd good tournament

The challenge tour shows how pros outside the 'premier league' guys can still have impressive stats and score -20 for 4 rounds etc, but they don't score or place anywhere near as well on the full ET events

So despite his CV its a no from me

 

[chrisd]

I think he could easily keep his card but I'm doubtful he'd win

 

[USER1999]

Not if they introduce a shot clock, like at the Austrian open.

 

[Imurg]

I think he'd struggle.
He would probably be around the top of the leaderboard for the first 2 days but then start to fall away.
He's 60, the body starts to slow down. A minor thing but the Seniors only play 3 rounds. Playing 4 rounds week in, week out would be hard going, especially at the mental level needed to compete on the ET.
I don't know how far he hits it but he's going to have to go some tomorrow up with the youngsters. I suspect course set up won't help him either. I would imagine the Seniors having less rough and less penal rough than the top tour.
All in all, he may contest an event or two but I don't see him winning..
Stay on the Oldies Tour, clean up for a couple more years and then retire gracefully.

 

[Dasit]

Everyone answering a different question to what the OP asked


Yeah he could do well, he is a top player. Not every player on the European tour hits it a mile.

 

[Slime]

I'm sure he'd do surprisingly well, but questions would still be asked about his putting technique as he'd be under the microscope from the very start.
Ryder Cup? I think that'd be a bridge too far.

 

[HankMarvin]

Compete yes

Win probably not

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I don’t think he would challenge and would struggle to be in the top 100 - the course set up on the ET is reputed to be a good deal tougher than you get on the Seniors , it’s supposed to be set up longer , quicker greens , tougher tough and pin positions - it’s also over four days and against a lot of players at their peak. He may possibly have the odd one or two top 10 in a weaker field but beyond that don’t see anything else.

I remember all the Ryder cup talk a couple years back - it was a bit silly tbh

Did hear there was talk of a match between the tours

 

[fenwayrich]

Langer is an all time great, and the quality at the bottom end of the European Tour is poor (in relative terms), so I think he would keep his card comfortably, even at 60.

But at the top end, there are some outstanding (and very powerful) players, all in their prime. Bernhard can beat the roundbellies comfortably, but he is well past his best, so it's very unlikely he would win.

 

[richart]

Think he would make a lot of cuts, and have a few top tens to keep his card. Couldn't see him winning though.

 

[Redtraveller]

I reckon he’d do ok, not challenging every week but keeping his card. I watched him a few years back at Birkdale in the senior open and he was so steady. He was winning by a mile but actually lost it on the Monday in a play off if I remember rightly

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

I followed him on the last day of a Champions tour event in North Carolina a couple of years ago. He finished 3rd, can't remember his score but he was lots under par and the course was 7137 yards so I think yes he could compete if he chose to do so.

 

[Jacko_G]

I'm sure he'd do surprisingly well, but questions would still be asked about his putting technique as he'd be under the microscope from the very start.
Ryder Cup? I think that'd be a bridge too far.

Really? I'm more than confident that he would have brought more to the team than Lee Westwood did in both 2014 & 2016. Would probably have been a smarter captains pick.

 

[srixon 1]

Probably. He never puts in an embarrassing score at the US Masters every year and that is a long course.