‘I won the Masters – but I couldn’t even afford golf club membership’ | Golf | Sport

Golf legend Bernhard Langer revealed that his family’s financial status was once so dire that he couldn’t afford a golf club membership. The 68-year-old came into prominence in the 1980s as one of the leading golf stars of the decade with his legacy written after winning the Masters – which returns on Thursday – in 1985 and 1993.

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.”

With two major titles to his name, Langer’s legendary status is also etched into DP World Tour exploits where he stands as the second most successful player with 42 career wins, with only Seve Ballesteros (50) with more victories.

After missing the cut last year, Langer showed his emotion when admitting his decision to no longer compete at the Masters because he no longer holds belief that he can win the tournament. “This tournament was more meaningful to me than most people know, even in a spiritual sense,” he said.

“I want to be in the heat. I want to be on the leaderboard. I want to have a chance to win. On this golf course, I don’t feel I can win anymore. “I’m hitting such long clubs into these greens, where I can’t stop the ball where I need to stop it. It’s a golf course designed to be hit with medium to short irons.

“The greens are so severe. There were lots of emotions flooding through my mind the last two days as I was walking down the fairways. Friends from all over the world, literally, were walking a few holes with me. It meant a great deal.”