Langer recalls his World Cup victories

While World Cup success has become almost second nature for Germany’s national football team, the country’s two triumphs in golf’s equivalent came somewhat more unexpectedly, even to the greatest German to ever play the game, Bernhard Langer. The Omega Mission Hills World Cup takes place from November 27-30, and after last week’s European Qualifier, where Finland, Canada and Portugal all qualified, the final three places in the 28 nation field will be determined in the South American Qualifier in a fortnight. Germany are already exempt and while the team will see a new partnership in the promising Martin Kaymer and Alex Cejka, Langer will always be part of the rich heritage of the championship. Langer was the inspiration behind both of Germany’s wins, which at 16 years apart spanned two eras of The World Cup, and which both came in the most unlikely of circumstances. Having first represented his country at The World Cup in 1976, Langer already had five appearances under his belt when he headed to the 1990 tournament partnered by Torsten Giedeon, a close friend who is just 13 days older than Germany’s most successful player. While Langer was still very much at the peak of his game after finishing fourth on the Order of Merit that year, Giedeon teed up at Grand Cypress in Florida with his morale on a downward spiral, having just lost his card for The European Tour. What followed was one of the most remarkable turnarounds in fortune seen at The World Cup, as Giedeon put aside his personal woes to help secure a first World Cup win for one of golf’s less heralded nations. For Langer it was a special moment in a career which at that point had already yielded two Ryder Cup wins and the Green Jacket at The Masters Tournament in 1985.
"I remember Torsten was not in a very good mood as he had just missed his card on The European Tour and didn’t make it through the qualifying stages so he was pretty down with his golf and life in general at that point," recalls Langer. "It was difficult for him to be upbeat and have fun so I was kidding about with the two caddies and he was miserable for a day or two but he turned it around and played very well. He played some great golf that year and it was pretty special for us both. "I think we both had the same score and you need a good partner otherwise it is impossible to win. It was quite a feat for him to play that well and with the attitude he had."
Fast forward to 2006 and it was Langer who went to The World Cup at The Sandy Lane Resort, in Barbados, as something of an underdog, having not played in The World Cup for ten years and edging ever closer to the status of a senior golfer. At the age of 49 years and 106 days, Langer was partnered by Marcel Siem, a player 23 years his junior, but it proved to be a combination that worked just as well as 16 years previously as the German pair beat Colin Montgomerie and Marc Warren of Scotland in a play-off. "Marcel Siem was another great partner," said Langer. "We had lots of fun that week staying at the Sandy Lane Hotel and with the two caddies. My son was caddying for me and Marcel had a great guy as well. "We enjoyed ourselves and played well and got into the play-off. I remember Monty and I were both playing the par three and we both missed the green left in the rough, Marcel hit a great chip shot to a couple of feet and Scotland made bogey and we made par to win it. "For a country like Germany which doesn’t have a lot of golfers, to win The World Cup twice is quite astonishing." Astonishing indeed but then again Langer, who also won the individual honour at the 1993 World Cup, is no stranger to taking on adversity having overcome the putting ‘yips’ to win The Masters Tournament twice among his 42 victories on The European Tour International Schedule during a distinguished career.Langer, of course, also played on five Ryder Cup winning Teams and lifted the trophy as Captain in 2004 but the veteran of 12 World Cups insists he will always remain proud of his two World Cup wins. "It’s always great to represent your country and be one of the two best players in Germany," he said. "It’s very special to go on and play against so many other nations and great players. It’s pretty amazing when they play the national anthems and raise the flags at the opening ceremony. "Whenever you play team golf it is a lot of fun to interact with your partner and the two caddies and I enjoy that very much. "It’s very different challenge to playing as an individual. The World Cup more so than The Ryder Cup because in The Ryder Cup you play out by yourself sometimes in the singles but in The World Cup you play together constantly across the days. It’s great to interact with each other and help each other with club selection and reading the putts." Having recently celebrated his 51st birthday and claimed his maiden victory on the European Seniors Tour, Langer’s patriotism remains as fervent as ever and he has not yet ruled out the possibility of matching the record of his country’s football team by landing a hat-trick of World Cups, perhaps alongside emerging German talent like Martin Kaymer. "I took a lot of years off but I was still playing good golf in 2006 and I still think I could win The World Cup right now," he said. "It just depends whether I play well and my partner plays well."