Father Time is undefeated. But in golf, he often has to work overtime.
More than just about any other sport, golf is truly unique when it comes to the legends of the game. Whereas Hall of Fame players in most other sports have to call it a career in their mid-to-late 30s—or early 40s if they’re lucky—golf’s legends can continue to play on well after they’re past their prime. They can continue to play competitively against each other on the Champions Tour while also making occasional forays in tournaments on the regular PGA Tour or the majors.
And every now and again, these aging legends can briefly recapture a glimmer of their former glory.
This past weekend at the Masters, golf fans got a taste of that thanks to 58-year-old Bernhard Langer. Langer thrilled the Augusta crowd Saturday by shooting a 2-under 70, putting him at 1-under for the tournament and leaving him tied for third going into the final round. And oh by the way, he did all this while playing alongside Jason Day, the No. 1 ranked player in the world. Langer outplayed Day, even chipping in for birdie at the 14th hole just moments after watching his playing partner drain a 69-foot putt.
Just four players were under par at Augusta after 54 holes. Three of them—Jordan Spieth, Smylie Kaufman and Hideki Matsuyama—were 24 years old or younger. The other was Langer.
The other three aforementioned players that Langer, who captured Masters titles in 1985 and 1993, sat at the top of the leaderboard with were either infants or not even born yet the last time Langer won a green jacket.
Ultimately, Langer faded to finish at 6-over and tied for 24th (which is still pretty damn good for a 58-year-old). Still, the fact a guy who made his pro debut back when Richard Nixon was running for re-election against George McGovern could be in contention on Saturday at Augusta in the year 2016 is remarkable. But it’s certainly not the first example of old man magic at a major.
The most memorable instance of triumph by a legend past his prime came courtesy of Jack Nicklaus, who became the oldest winner in Masters at age 46 in 1986. Nicklaus came from behind with a furious finish on that Sunday, shooting 30 on the back nine to edge Greg Norman and Tom Kite by a single stroke. That victory gave Nicklaus his 18th and final major title—23 years after his first Masters win and 24 years after his first major victory—and has gone on to become one of the most iconic moments in the history of golf. Coincidentally, it was Langer, the previous year’s champion, who had the honor of slipping the green jacket on Nicklaus.
Twelve years later, at the age of 58, the Golden Bear conjured up some of his old magic once again, shooting a 68 on Sunday to finish tied for sixth.
Of course, Nicklaus isn’t the only all-time great who has turned back the clock at a major championship; Tom Watson challenged Father Time at the 2009 Open Championship, though his story was far more bittersweet.
Watson was in contention all throughout the tournament, even holding the 36 and 54-hole leads. He came to the 72nd hole needing just a par to become the oldest winner in major championship history. However, his approach shot took an unfavorable bounce and rolled off the back of the green. Watson couldn’t get up and down from there, missing an eight-foot putt that would’ve given him his fifth Claret Jug. That left him in a four-hole playoff, where he was easily beaten by Stewart Cink.
It was Watson’s heroics at Turnberry seven years ago that truly made me an avid golf fan. Watching this Hall-of-Famer recapture his glory and defy the odds all week was an exhilarating experience unlike any other, and seeing him let it slip away was utterly agonizing (I still refuse to watch a replay of the 72nd hole).
While that day was one of my greatest heartbreaks as a sports fan, it hooked me as a die-hard golf fan. And so it was quite bittersweet to see Watson play in his final Masters this past weekend. Watching him get a prolonged ovation as he took his final stroll up the 18th fairway was certainly a sentimental moment: The man who helped turn me into a golf fanatic will never again play at my favorite tournament of the year.
Yet just one day later, Bernhard Langer gave me a firm reminder of one of the reasons why I fell in love with the sport to begin with. In golf, some of the all-time greats get to assume the role of the ultimate underdog years, and sometimes decades, after the prime of their careers. That’s something completely unique in the world of sports and part of what makes golf so special.
