In early February, Bernhard Langer suffered a torn Achilles, forcing him to skip out on Augusta National for only the second time since 1983.
But earlier this week, on the ‘Musings on Golf’ podcast, Langer revealed how he tore his Achilles.
“I play all sorts of sports to stay fit, and this was part of my fitness regime,” Langer explained.
“I was playing pickleball, and somebody was trying to lob me. I did a few steps backward and hit an overhead, and as I landed on the ground with my feet, I heard this huge pop, very loud, like a gunshot. I knew right away it was a torn Achilles.”
Langer underwent surgery on his Achilles the very next day.
One of the most grueling injuries in sports, an Achilles tear typically takes six months to a year to fully recover. But Langer hopes to return to the PGA Tour Champions in early May for the Insperity Invitational. That would mark roughly three months since he ruptured it playing pickleball.
Still, Langer will make the trip to The Masters this year to attend Tuesday night’s Champions Dinner, which Jon Rahm will host.
The 66-year-old German has hosted that dinner twice, in the years after his victories in 1985 and 1993.
In 1985, Langer shot a 4-under 68 in the final round to storm past Seve Ballesteros, Raymond Floyd, and Curtis Strange. Langer entered the day trailing Floyd by two.
Then, eight years later, Langer began the final round with a four-shot lead and signed for a 2-under 70 on Sunday to win by four over Chip Beck.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
