Bernhard Langer’s 16th attempt to become the oldest winner in European Tour history might just be the one when he finally does it. The 51-year-old German goes into the final round of the BMW International Open in Munich in second place only two behind South African star Retief Goosen.
If he does go on to take the 75th victory of his professional career Langer will look back on the 16th hole of his third round today as a key moment.
After driving into the trees on the reachable par four, the double Masters champion, five times a runner-up in this event without ever winning it, chipped far too strongly but then sank a birdie putt of around 70 feet.
Playing his first event in Europe for over nine months Langer, now the leading money-winner on the US Champions Tour, had seven birdies in all for a 65 that took him onto the 15-under-par mark of 201.
The age record he is trying to break is that of Ireland’s Des Smyth, who was 48 when he captured the 2001 Madeira Islands Open.
This is the one Tour event in his home country that Langer has never won, but only two years ago he was second to Swede Niclas Fasth — and that after starting with a 76 and surviving the halfway cut with nothing to spare.
“This is as close as I could get to winning at home and it would mean a lot,” he said. “It would also be very special with my son Stefan on my bag. We have only one more tournament together before he goes off to college.
“I’m at a stage where I just want to enjoy my golf. I don’t want to grind any more and I don’t have anything to prove — I’ve been very blessed.”
Goosen, who has led since his opening 64 on Thursday, shot 67, but should have been even further in front.
He missed a putt of barely a foot on the long sixth and closed with a bogey six after finding a bad lie in a fairway bunker.
Nick Dougherty went in the water off the 18th tee — it has troubled him all week — and by also taking six fell into a tie for third on 14 under with David Drysdale.
While Langer goes hunting one record tomorrow, Colin Montgomerie extended one he already held when he sank an eight-iron on the 156-yard eighth for his ninth Tour ace.
However, there was not a single birdie in his other 17 holes and after a 72 left him three under and out of the title hunt he said: “It was the only good shot I hit all day.
“It looked good all the way, but I played rubbish apart from that. I never made a birdie, which is terrible. I made as many holes-in-one as an amateur I believe. My iron play has always been my strength.”
With a car only available on the short 17th, he was presented with a bottle of champagne for his feat, but it now looks certain that the Ryder Cup captain will complete a full year without a top 10 finish.
The last came when he was second to Spanish qualifier Pablo Larrazabal at the French Open last June.
As for 20-year-old Rory McIlroy, 10th in the US Open on Monday, he enters the final day joint 15th on nine under following a 69.
Collated third round scores & totals in the European Tour BMW International Open
(Irl & Gbr unless stated,
Irishin bold, par 72)
199Retief Goosen (Rsa) 64 68 67
201Bernhard Langer (Ger) 68 68 65
202David Drysdale 70 64 68, Nick Dougherty 69 65 68
203Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 68 65 70, James Kingston (Rsa) 67 69 67
204Paul Broadhurst 69 70 65, Graeme Storm 70 70 64
205Felipe Aguilar (Chi) 69 70 66, Rafael Echenique (Arg) 68 69 68, Thomas Levet (Fra) 68 67 70
206Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 69 67 70, Danny Willett 67 68 71, Pelle Edberg (Swe) 71 69 66
207Gary Orr 70 70 67, Shiv Kapur (Ind) 71 66 70, Anders Hansen (Den) 69 69 69, Magnus A Carlsson (Swe) 73 68 66, Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 67 70 70, Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 69 69 69, Peter Lawrie69 68 70, Rory McIlroy71 67 69, Richard Green (Aus) 71 68 68, Bradley Dredge 72 69 66
208Marco Ruiz (Par) 73 67 68, Scott Strange (Aus) 70 68 70, Phillip Price 67 72 69, David Lynn 67 70 71, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 70 69 69, Oliver Fisher 68 69 71
209Gary Lockerbie 72 68 69, Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 70 70 69, Stephen Dodd 68 69 72, Andrew Coltart 67 71 71, Fabrizio Zanotti (Par) 72 69 68, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 67 71 71, Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia (Ind) 69 70 70, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 69 66 74
210Anthony Wall 74 66 70, Richard Finch 66 71 73, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 68 71 71, Markus Brier (Aut) 69 71 70, Klas Eriksson (Swe) 70 71 69, John Bickerton 70 70 70, Johan Edfors (Swe) 71 69 70
211Robert Jan Derksen (Ned) 69 71 71, Chris Wood 71 69 71, Luke Donald 70 68 73, Steven O'Hara 71 70 70, Chinnarat Phadungsil (Tha) 69 69 73, Richard Sterne (Rsa) 72 68 71, Seve Benson 70 71 70
212Lee Slattery 70 70 72, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 67 73 72, Bernd Wiesberger (Aut) 70 70 72, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 68 72 72, Michael Hoey70 71 71
213 Gary Murphy71 70 72, Gareth Maybin71 68 74, Max Kramer (Aut) 71 69 73, Colin Montgomerie 70 71 72, Scott Drummond 71 69 73
214Hennie Otto (Rsa) 72 69 73, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spa) 69 71 74, Kenneth Ferrie 69 72 73, Marcus Fraser (Aus) 67 74 73
215Joakim Haeggman (Swe) 72 67 76, Phillip Archer 69 72 74
217Carlos Del Moral (Spa) 70 71 76
219Michael Jonzon (Swe) 70 71 78, Barry Lane 68 73 78
