BRADENTON, Fla. — Regardless of a double bogey, Bernhard Langer shot a 6-under 66 on Thursday to take a share of the lead after the opening spherical of the Senior PGA Championship, two strokes forward of his age.
Langer, who already holds the report for 12 senior majors, recorded an eagle on the par-5 seventeenth gap at Concession Golf Membership and performed the ultimate six holes at 5 underneath.
He tied with Australia’s Miguel Angel Jimenez, Brian Homosexual and Steve Allan. Langer presently has 43 photographs above his age.
“It is enjoyable to {photograph} my age,” he mentioned. “So once you’re hitting photographs above your age, you are normally enjoying good golf. That is one in all my objectives these days, particularly once you play on tough golf programs, and the greens listed here are very tough.”
This yr marks the primary yr of a three-year settlement with the concession, which hosts the Senior PGA Championship, the oldest of the senior majors. Moreover, Langer has solely received one senior main, at Trump Nationwide in Virginia in 2017.
Jimenez, 62, made an eagle on the par-5 seventh gap and was out for 31 earlier than cooling off on the again 9. Alan performed bogey-free and picked up birdies on all however one par 5. Homosexual birdied three of the ultimate 4 holes.
They had been one stroke forward of Ben Crane, Retief Goosen and 56-year-old Thai Thammanoon Sriloj, who has received 5 occasions on the Asian Tour. Crane turned 50 final month and is making his senior main league debut.
Two-time Masters champion Jose María Olazabal, three-time main champion Padraig Harrington and Greg Chalmers had been 68 years outdated.
Henrik Stenson additionally made his senior debut, turning 50 on April 5, however opened with a 72. Stenson, the 2016 British Open champion, was with Saudi-funded LIV Golf beginning in 2022, however was demoted from the league final fall.
He will not be eligible to compete in a PGA Tour Champions occasion till a yr after his final LIV look, however the main is run by the PGA of America.
Langer’s spherical fell simply quick. Nevertheless, his 6-iron to the eleventh inexperienced sadly missed, leaving him with a downhill lie in a bunker all the best way to the quick pin. He screamed as he tried to open the blade, sending it flying throughout the inexperienced and onto the cart path. He chipped to 12 ft and missed the putt.
However he made up for it on No. 17 by hitting a 3-iron hybrid and holding a 60-foot eagle putt.
“If I might hit a putt like that for the remainder of my profession, I might be very pleased,” Langer mentioned.
