AUGUSTA, Ga. — For Bernhard Langer, finding faith was a journey through Amen Corner.
In 1985, this German golfer clinched his first green jacket at Augusta National. During the champion`s interview at Butler Cabin, he used the Lord`s name in vain, only to experience a spiritual awakening days later at a Bible study in Hilton Head, South Carolina. In 1993, his second Masters victory fell on Easter Sunday, at what many consider the spiritual home of American golf.
`This tournament held a deeper significance for me than many realize, even in a spiritual sense,` Langer, now 67, reflected on Friday.
He spoke in the past tense because a bogey had placed him just outside the cut line in his 41st—and final—Masters appearance as a competitor.
Langer`s walk off the 18th green on Friday marked the conclusion of an illustrious Masters career. His initial triumph came when, as a 27-year-old from a small village of 800, he became only the third international champion, following in the footsteps of South Africa`s Gary Player and Spain`s Seve Ballesteros. Eight years later, in 1993, he secured his second green jacket. His Masters record includes seven top-10 finishes, with one as recent as 2014, and he even finished under par in 2020, tying for 29th at 3-under.
Langer`s enduring career spanned a revolution in golf equipment. He remains the last major winner to have used a persimmon driver.
While John Daly was making waves at the 1991 PGA Championship with a Kevlar-headed Cobra driver, and Jose Maria Olazabal would win the 1994 Masters with a (relatively) large TaylorMade metal driver, Langer stayed true to the classic persimmon.
The memories of Langer`s past triumphs evoked a wave of nostalgia. As part of his farewell to Augusta, the Champions Tour shared a video of Langer showcasing the Texan driver by Texas Golf Co. that he used to win 32 years prior. He then revealed the most cherished club in his collection, inspired by that victory.
`They presented me with a truly unique gift,` Langer explained. `The owner hand-painted this for me. It’s one of their drivers, depicting `The Last Supper` – Jesus with the twelve disciples. Hand-carved. A truly unique piece.`
Nearly 2,000 miles away in Jalisco, Mexico, Dave Wood was astonished.
Wood is a man of diverse talents. Raised in Hollywood, California, as the son of a golf pro and instructor, he attended the prestigious California Institute of the Arts. He was recruited to play golf at the University of Houston but left after a year, graduating instead from the Glassell School of Art in Houston. Still a skilled golfer, he began to combine his passions by experimenting with club design. He found mentors in legends Jackie Burke and Jimmy Demaret, both Masters champions from Texas.
This led to the creation of Texas Golf Co. and his groundbreaking Texan driver.
`I was the first company to introduce loft degrees on clubs,` Wood stated. `Every club you see in pro shops today incorporates that feature.`
Wood and Langer`s paths crossed at Riviera Country Club in 1984, and they quickly connected. Wood, a competitive player himself, was one of the few equipment reps who understood players` perspectives. In the pre-launch monitor era, Wood relied on feedback from friends like Seve Ballesteros and Greg Norman to refine his products. Long before Bryson DeChambeau sought micron-level precision with robots, Wood was pioneering the cutting edge through hands-on methods.
According to Wood, Langer`s testing methods were the most meticulous.
`Bernhard would send his caddie to the far end of the driving range with a signal system,` Wood recounted. `True German engineering at its finest. Based on whether the ball landed and then hopped left or released, the caddie would signal back to Bernhard to convey the result.`
Shortly after, both their careers took off.
Demaret and Burke began directing players to Wood. Soon, Phil Mickelson and Ben Crenshaw were getting clubs made, including the Texan driver Mickelson used as an amateur to win his first PGA Tour event at the 1991 Tucson Open. In the early 90s, Wood crafted one for Langer as well.
In 1993, Wood was at Augusta from Sunday to Tuesday but then had to travel to Japan. From there, at midnight, he watched his friend win the Masters using a club he had made.
`If he had failed, I might have broken a Japanese television,` Wood joked.
He wanted to create something special for both Langer and himself, commemorating the significance of the achievement. Knowing Langer`s deep Christian faith and his carefulness with language, Wood decided to create a Texan driver engraved with `The Last Supper`.
`Leonardo da Vinci has always been a source of inspiration for me,` Wood explained. `After Bernhard`s Augusta victory, that became my objective. I couldn`t imagine a greater challenge.`
He dedicated six months to crafting the special driver, overcoming the challenges of persimmon grain porosity and engraving intricate details onto the curved driver head. Upon completion, eager to present it to Langer, he didn`t even think to photograph his creation.
So, when Wood received a text this week from a golf industry friend with the video featuring Langer showcasing the gift, he was amazed that Langer highlighted it. It brought back three decades of memories, of a life dedicated to golf, and now, the end of an era with an old friend completing his final lap.
`It looked exactly as I remembered it,` Wood said from his home in Mexico. `It`s touching that it still holds importance for him, that among all his trophies—and he`s one of the greats—he cherishes this piece.`
Wood watched on Friday as Langer wore green trousers in tribute to his 1985 win. The fans showered him with standing ovations across the course. Wood watched as Langer birdied the 12th, briefly reaching the cut line, as if Amen Corner might save him once more. But a double bogey on the 15th and another bogey on the 18th changed that.
`Coming up to the 18th, I had mixed feelings because I was still within the projected cut line, and even after my bogey, I wasn`t sure if I was out or not, as I thought 3-over might make the cut,` Langer said.
Ultimately, he missed the cut by a single stroke, after a putt on the 18th narrowly missed.
Knowing when to retire is particularly challenging in golf. Langer is the most decorated player in PGA Tour Champions history, consistently outperforming players decades younger. Yet, on the right day and course, he can still compete with those half his age, or even younger. (Just after Langer finished at 3-over, 28-year-old Will Zalatoris completed his second round at 8-over.) For legends like Langer, deciding when to step away is a matter of conviction.
Despite an Achilles injury last year, Langer has maintained remarkable fitness. He came incredibly close to becoming the oldest player to ever make a major cut, a record held by Sam Snead at the 1979 PGA Championship, also at 67. However, Langer stated his ambition was not merely to play the weekend.
`I want to be in contention,` Langer asserted. `I want to be on the leaderboard, with a chance to win. On this course, I no longer believe I can win.`
Langer`s playing partner, amateur Noah Kent, averaged 322.6 yards off the tee over the two days, while Langer averaged 253.3 yards per drive. A significant disadvantage.
`I`m hitting such long irons into these greens, making it hard to control ball placement,` Langer explained. `This course is designed for medium to short iron approaches. The greens are incredibly demanding.`
To compete, Langer had to rely on precise misses and exceptional short game, leveraging the wisdom gained from 41 years at Alister MacKenzie`s masterpiece. He executed this strategy admirably, so much so that during his rounds, he questioned his decision to retire. But now, he affirms, he is at peace with it.
Walking off the 18th green with his son Jason as his caddie, Langer was greeted by his wife, four children, and two grandchildren. `Emotions flooded my mind over the last two days as I walked the fairways,` he shared. `Friends from around the world walked a few holes with me, which meant a great deal.` Dave Wood, his old friend in Mexico, understood. Wood`s `Last Supper` tribute to Langer also represented his own kind of farewell.
`That was the last persimmon golf club I personally crafted,` Wood reflected. `I didn`t realize it at the time. But that`s life.`
Wood watched every shot of Langer`s round on Friday, stating he couldn`t remember being more invested in a golf round.
`This is it,` Wood concluded. `The end of our era.`
Masters announcer Jim Nantz, who has covered the tournament since 1989, called Langer `one of the greatest players in the history of this tournament.`
Langer himself pondered his legacy in his final press conference after four decades. `How will they remember me? Hopefully, as a good golfer, but also as a man of faith.`
