Langer Extends Lead to Seven in Senior Open Championship


The amazing Bernhard Langer continues to roll in the Senior Open Championship at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club in Wales. The 56-year-old German followed up his opening 6-under 65 with a 66 to take a whopping seven-stroke lead in the Champions Tour's final major of the year.

After posting seven birdies and a bogey Thursday, Langer had six more birdies and his second bogey in two rounds to reach 11-under 131, well ahead of Scotsman Colin Montgomerie (66) and England's Chris Williams (70).

Langer is halfway to erasing the pain he felt in last year's Senior Open, when he lost on the fifth playoff hole to American Mark Wiebe. With a two-stroke lead starting the 72nd hole, Langer came undone at Royal Birkdale when he couldn't get out of a greenside bunker on the last.

"It still hurts when I think about it," he said Friday. "If you put me in that situation a hundred times, I think I would win 98 or 99."

That would have been his second Senior Open title; he won in 2010 at Carnoustie.

The 21-time Champions Tour winner is pleased with his second round and outstanding play so far. "I played very aggressive and smart today," said Langer, who has three major titles on the over-50 circuit.

"I missed a couple of opportunities early on, but I'm very pleased overall. Playing good golf on a great course is a lot of fun. But you have to be very careful, very smart and hopefully execute properly."

Eight behind Langer is Spain's Pedro Linhart (69), while nine back are Americans Tom Watson (66) and Bob Tway. Tway began the second round tied for second with Williams and trailing Langer by only two shots, but carded a 74 Friday.

Watson doesn't think this tournament is a runaway. "This isn't over yet," said the five-time British Open champion, who's also won three Senior British Opens. "Bernhard's going to have to lead from the front and that's never easy. Look at what happened to Rory (McIlroy) at the Open Championship. He had a six-shot lead going into the fourth round, and that was pulled back to two. He got the win in the end, but it was close."

After opening with a 74 that included four birdies and seven bogeys, Watson knows he'll need clean cards to have any chance of catching his fellow World Golf Hall of Fame member "If I have no bogeys, if I can continue that run, that would be good," added Watson, who had three birdies and an eagle on the par-5 closer for his 66.

"This golf course has a lot of land mines to it and hope I can avoid them the next two days and shoot some good scores and maybe get within shouting distance."

Montgomerie, who won the previous Champions Tour event, the U.S. Senior Open in Oklahoma, isn't so sure about Watson's assessment. "I've got a massive mountain to climb to catch Bernhard," admitted the 51-year-old Scot, who also won the Senior PGA Championship in late May.

Ten shots behind the leader - and the only other players under par through 36 holes - are England's Barry Lane (69) and Canada's Rick Gibson, while tied for ninth at 142 on the par-71 course are Americans Fred Couples (71), Tom Pernice Jr. and Bruce Vaughn. Pernice's 7-under 64 is the low round of the tournament.

The cut was set at 7-over 149. Among those heading home is defending champion Wiebe. After starting with a 76, things didn't get better for the 56-year-old Oregonian, who shot a 77 Friday.

For all the scores, visit http://www.europeantour.com/seniortour/season=2014/tournamentid=2014862/leaderboard/index.html.