Bernhard Langer is the epitome of German innovation

When reflecting on another amazing season for Bernhard Langer, it’s difficult not to think of him as simply another top German product.

The 57-year-old has just swept all before him on the US Champions Tour to win the Charles Schwab Cup for the second time, along with almost $3-million in prize money.

In keeping with the BMW commercial, ‘The Ultimate Driving Machine’, Langer finished first in driving accuracy.

Throw in the Volkswagen jingle ‘If only everything in life was as reliable as a Volkswagen” and that was Bernhard, as he ended the season with a 68.03 scoring average.

The normally immovable German has been a bit taken aback by it all.

But he admits that the secret for his ironman performance of five wins, and four runner-up finishes in his 18 top-10s were the result of pacing himself more cautiously than he has done in the past.

“The last 10 months have been so mind-boggling, it is almost too hard to believe,” he says.

“I didn’t play all the tournaments on the Tour, because I’d learned from past experience I couldn’t do it.

“I’ve played three or four on the trot before with unhappy memories, so I figured two in a row was the best way for me to go.”

The two-time Masters champion is an intriguing personality, who still believes a third Masters Green Jacket is attainable, even seven years after he became eligible for the senior circuit.

“Why not?” he counters, and his eighth-place finish this year has you believing he could indeed do it.

This from a man who, for all his success including 10 Ryder Cup appearances and being the winning Captain in 2004, has seen much of his career blighted by his battle against the yips on the putting green.

Once, in an Open at Royal Lytham St Annes, he five-putted the 17th green. His caddie at the time, Pete Coleman, just said: “I had to close my eyes.”

Langer has also overcome back problems, and he smiles at the memory of when it all started.

“We had to go into the Army in Germany, so I enlisted at the age of 19 but was told I had a stress fracture and a bulging disc in my lower back.

“They have wanted to operate on me two or three times down through the years but it has held up so far!”

But will his putting stroke hold up in 2016 when he will have to part with his trusty, anchor-style putter?

“Oh, I’ve given it some thought, and I have another couple of putters ready and prepared for the future,” reveals Langer.

“I still have just over a year to play with my putter if that is how I choose it.

“And I probably will because I am very comfortable with it, as you would expect after 18 years using it!”

When you consider Bernhard was first in wins, first in top-10s, greens in regulation, birdies or better, scoring average on par-3s and par-5s, don’t count him out.

‘Vorsprung durch Technic’ was another German advertising phrase. It translates as ‘Advancement through technology’.

Want to bet Bernhard will not have found yet another winning way come 2016?