WISCONSIN — Following his efforts to tie Hale Irwin’s record of 45 career PGA Tour Champions titles, it only took Bernhard Langer 10 tournaments to claim No. 46 and re-write history on his own.
Langer bagged his 46th Champions Tour title — the 2023 U.S. Senior Open — after carding a seven-under-par 277 and beating by two shots hometown guy Steve Stricker at SentryWorld.
It was Langer’s second title of the season and his record 12th senior major title. He also broke his own record four times over as oldest winner of a PGA Tour-sanctioned event
— and the $720,000 top purse that goes with it.
The 65-year-old Langer first recorded that badge of longevity with his 42nd Champions Tour win at the 2021 Dominion Energy Charity Classic.
Irwin gathered his victories between July 1995 and January 2007, while Langer’s first victory came nine months after Irwin’s last, in October 2007.
“When I first came out here, I thought, ‘This is never going to happen,’” Langer said in his winner’s press conference after securing title No. 45. “Hale, if you’re watching, congratulations; you’re a great champion, and I’m honored to have tied your record.”
“I certainly am going to give (No. 46) a shot. We’ll see if it happens. If not, life goes on, whether you win one more or not, or whether you have another record or not.”
