Senior Open: Bernhard Langer makes history

The German held off the challenge of Corey Pavin to claim a record 10th senior major title by three shots on four-under-par for the tournament. Langer carded a one-over final round of 72, as 2010 US Ryder Cup captain Pavin settled for a 71. 

It was a third major victory of the season for Langer, who also won the senior Open at Porthcawl three years ago. 

After holding at least a share of the lead at the end of each day, Langer is the third three-time winner of the senior Claret Jug, after all-time legends Tom Watson and Gary Player, despite having to battle a bout of laryngitis at the start of the week.

"It's a fantastic feeling to have won here again," he told europeantour.com. 

"There might have been a little extra pressure, just knowing that I won here by 13 a few years ago. I hit my first tee shot straight into a gorse bush on the left and it was unplayable so, looking back now, it ended a lot better than it started. 

"But, despite my first tee shot and my sickness, I actually had a very good first round and had the lead of the championship, and I think that was the key. I led from the very beginning. 

"I led on Thursday, I was co-leader Friday and then jumped into the lead with a 65 yesterday and never surrendered." 

Langer's win also gives him a place in next year's British Open at Carnoustie, by when he will have turned 60. 

The victory saw Langer join Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win three senior majors in a season, and won the event for the third time to match the tournament record. 

"It's pretty neat to do something that nobody else has done before," Langer said. 

"Like winning 10 senior majors, it's not easily done. There's a lot of competition out there. Very blessed and honored to have achieved that. Maybe there's one or two more in the future, who knows? 

"But right now, I'm just going to enjoy the fruit of the labour, and to have won three majors in one season is pretty spectacular, and it actually could have been four if I didn't mess up two weeks ago (in the Senior Players Championship)." 

Langer won the Regions Tradition and Senior PGA Championship the first two of the PGA Champions Tour's five majors in consecutive weeks in May. He finished second behind Scott McCarron in the Senior Players Championship, losing the lead with a double bogey on the 71st hole. Nicklaus won three of the then-four majors in 1991.

The 59-year-old also won in 2010 at Carnoustie and took the 2014 event at Royal Porthcawl by 13 strokes. Tom Watson and Gary Player are the only other three-time winners, with Player's titles coming before the event was a major or part of the PGA Champions Tour. 

"We all know what great players those two are, especially Tom has maybe the best links course record of anybody," Langer said. 

"He's one of the best wind players that I've seen, maybe the best. And we all know what Gary Player has achieved in his career." 

Langer also won the season-opening event in Hawaii in January and has 33 PGA Tour Champions titles. He's second on the career victory list, 12 behind Hale Irwin. 

"We just keep working at our game and you learn from your mistakes," Langer said. 

"I have a very good team around me with my coach, Willy Hoffman; my caddie, Terry Holt; my family who supports me; my brother who is my manager; and I'm reasonably healthy where I don't have any restraints there. All of that combined, I'm a competitive guy. I'd like to do well, whatever I do. I work hard at it and expect a lot." 

Australian Peter Lonard shared third with Billy Andrade and former world number one Fred Couples on level par for the championship.  

Final scores   

280 Bernhard Langer (Ger) 69 74 65 72

283 Corey Pavin (USA) 73 74 65 71

284 Billy Andrade (USA) 71 76 69 68, Peter Lonard (Aus) 71 75 67 71, Fred Couples (USA) 75 75 66 68

285 Miguel Angel Martin (Spa) 72 76 68 69, Phillip Price 74 73 68 70, Magnus Atlevi (Swe) 77 73 65 70

286 David McKenzie (Aus) 73 73 71 69, Billy Mayfair (USA) 71 72 71 72

287 Steve Flesch (USA) 72 71 71 73, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 76 73 65 73

288 David Frost (Rsa) 81 74 65 68

289 Brad Faxon (USA) 78 71 67 73

290 Scott Dunlap (USA) 76 73 66 75, Jeff Sluman (USA) 74 76 69 71, Woody Austin (USA) 75 77 70 68, Santiago Luna (Spa) 77 70 68 75, Mike Goodes (USA) 74 72 72 72, Tom Pernice Jr. (USA) 71 76 70 73, Peter Fowler (Aus) 71 76 73 70, Paul Broadhurst 75 75 67 73

291 Scott McCarron (USA) 75 74 72 70, Tom Watson (USA) 72 77 67 75, Colin Montgomerie 71 76 70 74, Joe Daley (USA) 78 73 68 72, Greg Turner (Nzl) 73 78 69 71, Tom Lehman (USA) 71 72 73 75, Gene Sauers (USA) 75 75 70 71292 Mark McNulty 75 80 67 70

293 Willie Wood (USA) 75 77 70 71, Mark Mouland 73 76 70 74, Jeff Maggert (USA) 78 76 68 71, Andre Bossert (Che) 77 76 69 71, Russ Cochran (USA) 77 73 69 74, Duffy Waldorf (USA) 73 77 71 72, Clark Dennis (USA) 72 72 72 77

294 John Daly (USA) 72 80 68 74, Prayad Marksaeng (Tha) 73 76 72 73, Mauricio Molina (Arg) 70 73 77 74, David Gilford 73 77 72 72, Larry Mize (USA) 76 77 69 72

295 Roger Chapman 75 72 72 76, Carlos Franco (Pry) 74 78 68 75

296 Jerry Kelly (USA) 76 73 70 77, Esteban Toledo (Mex) 76 78 69 73, Marco Dawson (USA) 79 76 70 71, Paul Wesselingh 74 77 71 74, Ian Woosnam 74 75 75 72, Steen Tinning (Den) 77 77 69 73, Olin Browne (USA) 78 75 67 76, Sandy Lyle 74 76 70 76

297 Jose-Maria Olazabal (Spa) 78 76 70 73, Andrew Oldcorn 76 79 69 73, Paul Streeter 77 76 65 79, Skip Kendall (USA) 75 77 71 74

298 Tim Thelen (USA) 76 77 70 75, Glen Day (USA) 80 75 71 72, Thaworn Wiratchant (Tha) 78 76 73 71, Mike Harwood (Aus) 72 79 73 74

299 Nick Faldo 79 76 69 75, Stephen Dodd 75 80 73 71, Jean-Francois Remesy (Fra) 71 77 72 79, Todd Hamilton (USA) 72 82 72 73, Barry Lane 77 78 70 74

300 Gary Orr 75 79 73 73, Cesar null Monasterio (Arg) 73 81 72 74

301 Chip Lutz (USA) 77 74 71 79, Chris Williams (Rsa) 71 79 74 77

303 Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 77 77 72 77, Lian-Wei Zhang (Chn) 77 78 77 71, Carl Mason 70 85 73 75

304 Gary Wolstenholme 77 78 74 75, Pedro Linhart (Spa) 76 74 75 79, John King 77 78 77 72, Paul Goydos (USA) 79 75 74 76, Des Smyth 76 79 73 76

305 Randy Haag (a) (USA) 73 82 76 74

306 James Kingston (Rsa) 76 77 79 74

308 Steven McAllister 78 77 78 75

309 Terry Price (Aus) 75 78 79 77

312 Shaun Ball 78 76 76 82