HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- Despite all of his success in golf, Bernhard Langer has never been known as an extrovert.
But when he sank a 6 foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to win the 2021 Dominion Energy Charity Classic, he thrust his arms in the air in a way many of those in attendance had never seen from him before.
"It's been about a year and a half since I won, so that's a very long time" Langer explained. "I've had some very close calls, lost some playoffs, so I wanted this real bad."
Congrats to @BernhardLanger6 on his second @DECCGolf title@ChampionsTour @CBS6 pic.twitter.com/4qgiDzMz8f
— Lane Casadonte (@LaneCtvsports) October 24, 2021
Langer defeated Doug Barron on the first hole of sudden death after the two finished 54 holes tied at -14. Barron birdied the 15th and 18th holes down the stretch, part of a round of 4 under 68, to keep the pressure on.
On the first playoff hole, both players missed the green with their second shots and chipped to about 6 feet. Barron's birdie putt slid by the hole giving Langer the chance to close it out.
"Are you kidding me?" Langer asked with a laugh when asked if there was any stress over the final putt. "There's stress with every shot especially when it's a deciding shot."
The win further cements Langer's position atop the Charles Schwab playoff race standings as he goes for his 6th Schwab Cup title. He is the first two-time winner in the DECC's short history, and at 64, becomes the oldest winner in PGA Tour Champions history, something not lost on him in the aftermath.
"It's very special because at my age, you never know when you're going to win again," Langer said. "Hopefully this won't be the last one. And hopefully it's encouraging to anyone over 50 or 60 that we can still perform at a very high level and you should never give up.
