'I'm a Masters champion but I couldn't even afford a golf club membership'
It's not only the very rich who can win a Masters title
Golfing legend Bernhard Langer has revealed that his family was so financially strapped they couldn't afford a golf club membership before he clinched his first of two Masters titles in 1987. Despite "struggling to walk", the German star, now 67, is set to play his final Masters next week, capping off a career that saw him join the ranks of Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, Scottie Scheffler, and Phil Mickelson as two-time winners of the season's opening major.
Ahead of his last appearance at the iconic Augusta National, Langer opened up about his humble beginnings and the challenges he faced becoming a professional golfer in Germany. He told Tour Edge Golf: "At the Langer house, when I got that little letter, you know, in early spring, that I get to be invited to play in the Masters in 1982. People really had no clue about the game. It just wasn't popular, it wasn't televised, it was just a minority sport.
"Boris Becker won Wimbledon the same year I won the Masters, and so that got quite a bit of coverage in the German media. And in Germany, golf always had that label of being a rich man's game. Only the very elite could afford golf, and here you have a son of a bricklayer who couldn't afford to be a member at any of the clubs winning the Masters tournament.
"So this was a totally different twist of golf; it's not just for the rich and the famous; it's also, you know, for anybody and everybody. So it certainly helped change the image of golf."
The German athlete rose to fame, becoming a household name in men's professional golf.
Not only did he clinch two major titles, but Langer has also shattered numerous records. On the DP World Tour, he stands as the second most successful player ever, boasting an impressive 42 career wins.
Transitioning into senior golf, Langer has dominated the PGA Champions Tour, securing more victories than any other player in its history. His current record is an astonishing 47 titles, with his most recent triumph at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Arizona just four months ago.
This article originally appeared on Mirror US
