German and Montgomerie dominating senior circuit
Monday 28 July 2014 14:19, UK
Paul McGinley must seriously consider selecting Bernhard Langer for his Ryder Cup team, says Tony Jacklin.
The 56-year-old German produced a stunning display to win the Senior Open by 13 shots at Royal Porthcawl, carding a four-under final round 67 to finish on 18-under.
His nearest challenger was in-form Colin Montgomerie back on five-below, but the two-time Masters winner was in a class of his own in Wales.
It was a parade this week. Bernhard just played superior golf.
Jacklin – who selected Langer in all four Ryder Cup teams he captained in the 1980s – reckons Langer’s score would have defeated the world’s best and pointed to the experience he could bring to McGinley’s side, which take on USA at Gleneagles in September.
“When I was the captain and I had Bernhard in my team, the beauty of Bernhard was you could play him with anybody and it didn’t affect him. He’d just do his thing the whole time,” said the 1969 Open winner.
“He’s a great team man, he’s a great support for his partner and in matchplay and I’d be thinking very seriously indeed if I was Paul McGinley because even if the young guys had been here, they wouldn’t have beaten this score. It was a fantastic performance from him.”
Langer captained Europe to victory in 2004 but hasn’t played in the famous contest since 2002, however, Jacklin says the German is in stunning form.
“It was a parade this week,” he said. “Bernhard just played superior golf. His thinking process, his putting, his driving, he reigned supreme.
“He made it look very easy and it was a joy for me to watch it. It was a very special week and he’ll look back on this at the end of his career and it will have a special place for him.”
Runner-up Montgomerie finished with an impressive two-under final round and, following his successes at the Senior PGA and Senior US Open in the past three months, Jacklin praised the Scotsman’s form.
Along with Langer – who has also won the Senior Players Championship this season – Jacklin says the two Europeans are dominating the senior circuit.
“It was a good performance today from Colin Montgomerie,” he said.
“These two fellas are dominating senior golf on both sides of the Atlantic. Colin won the two senior majors over there earlier this year and this week was Bernhard Langer’s.
“Colin’s putter held his score together beautifully; it really was a great performance from him.”
