Langer all business in first Champions Tour victory

2007-10-14

Share this article:  Digg |  StumbleUpon |  del.icio.us |  Reddit

SPRING, TEXAS (TICKER) -- Bernhard Langer really went to work Sunday to earn his first Champions Tour title.

Langer blitzed the field at the Administaff Small Business Classic, firing an 8-under-par 64 to post an eight-shot victory at the $1.6 million event.

In just his fourth even on the Champions Tour, Langer finished at 25-under 191. He finished with one bogey in three rounds and smashed the tournament record, set in 2005 by Mark McNulty, by nine shots.

"There were a lot of champions who were there to snap at my heels if I faltered," Langer said. "Once I got real comfortable, accelerated and I made some crucial good iron shots."

Langer entered Sunday with a four-shot lead and never gave his pursuers even a glimmer of hope. He birdied Nos. 2, 6 and 8 on the front nine and added five more on the back nine.

Three straight birdies to close the round put an exclamation point on Langer's first victory, which earned the German $240,000.

"A few guys in the locker room kidded me and asked me, 'Don't you have somewhere else to play?" Langer said. "I'll play one more and then decide what I'm going to do next year."

Mark O'Meara and Tom Kite started the final round tied for second and were essentially playing for second place on Sunday. O'Meara edged Kite with a 68 that included five birdies to finish at 17-under 199.

Despite playing solid golf all week, O'Meara and Kite never had a chance to catch Langer.

"He's just such a great player and he played so smart out there," O'Meara said of Langer.

Kite had an early eagle and added two birdies and a bogey for a 69 that left him third at 16-under.

"We all got hammered," Kite said. "I was pleased with the way I played, but Bernhard did some awesome things out there."

Defending champion Jay Haas closed with a 5-under 67 to finish tied for fourth with Lonnie Nielsen (68).