The two-time Masters champion, Bernhard Langer, is often praised for his putting skills, but he earned his first tour victory only after the late Seve Ballesteros criticized his putter.

During a recent conversation with the rest of the Big Five (Sir Nick Faldo, Sandy Lyle, and Ian Woosnam) on The Big 5 Roundtable, Langer revealed how the story of his maiden tour win in 1980 also involved an 85-year-old woman. 

The German golfer mentioned that he was playing in "Sunningdale" two weeks before his first tour victory when Ballesteros joined him. However, after taking three hits with Langer's putter, the late golfer walked away discontented. Upon being asked about the putter's quality, Ballesteros replied:  

“If you really wanna know, I think it’s too light and doesn’t have enough loft. It’s rubbish, basically.”

And that made Bernhard Langer rush to the professional store to find a replacement. 

The German star's eye stopped at a "used putter in the corner," which he decided to buy after trying for "five minutes." In the process of his bid to buy the club for "five pounds," Langer also got to know a bit about its original owner.

The storekeeper informed him, "That was an old lady ['s putter]. She quit golf. She was 85.”

Ballesteros' opinion about Langer's putter being "rubbish" proved to be a career-changing one for the 68-year-old. He used the 85-year-old lady's putter to finish "third" in Sunningdale, "second" in the next week, and finally win the 1980 Dunlop Masters with a margin of five strokes. 

While Langer thanked the late Spanish golfer to conclude his comments, he once mentioned that they had their differences.

Bernhard Langer and Seve Ballesteros' differences helped them grow

Despite spending a considerable amount of time together and competing against each other, Langer wasn't particularly comfortable interacting with Ballesteros.

In one of his five-year-old interviews with National Club Golfer, Langer said, "It was not necessarily comfortable [being around Ballesteros], but we were used to each other. We were two of the dominant players, and we often got paired together on a weekend, competing for a title."

However, the 68-year-old admitted that being around each other, despite their differences, helped both of them develop their skills.

"Seve and I were opposites in many ways – he showed a lot of emotion whereas I kept my emotions inside – but the results were extremely good for both of us."

Well, Langer and Ballesteros' accolades leave little doubt about the authenticity of his statement.

Written by

Krushna Pattnaik

Edited by

Souvik Roy