Bernhard Langer receives a Masters farewell surprise from $164.3B worth of car manufacturing giant
Bernhard Langer has announced that he will play at Augusta National for the last time in 2025, bringing a 41-year run at the historic tournament to an end. To celebrate, Mercedes-Benz, a worldwide Masters partner and a longtime sponsor of Langer's, the golfer received a customized S-Class vehicle handcrafted at the company's prestigious MANUFAKTUR facility.
The two-time Masters champion, who is now 67, described the moment as emotional.
“You can tell already my voice is breaking a bit just realizing it's going to be my last competitive Masters. After four decades, it's going to be bittersweet,” Langer said, as quoted on the Masters’ official website.
The personalized vehicle, decked out in Masters green and bearing the tournament logo as well as Langer’s signature on the interior, was presented in appreciation of Langer’s long-standing connection with Mercedes-Benz. Langer has gotten support from the German automaker, whose value stands at $164.3 billion (per Forbes), in multiple career phases, including multiple PGA Tour Champions wins.
For almost 40 years, Bernhard Langer has been a global brand ambassador for Mercedes-Benz, personifying the company’s values of consistency, endurance, and precision. The car presentation marked the end of their professional relationship and Langer’s decades-long association with the Masters.
Bernhard Langer’s four-decade legacy at Augusta
Bernhard Langer made his Masters debut in 1982 and won two Green Jackets — in 1985 and 1993. His victory in 1985 stood as a milestone when he became the first German to take the Masters and joined a small club of world champions.
At The Masters, Langer made 27 cuts, with nine top 10s and a scoring average of 72.84 in 134 rounds. In 2020, at 62, he became the oldest player to make it to the weekend in that tournament. He had an amazing stretch at the Masters when he made the cut 19 consecutive times, from 1984 to 2002.
“I love the Masters more than any tournament in the world,” Langer told the Associated Press, as reported by People magazine.
Langer has attributed his decision to the course's greater length and his own diminished driving distance. He was previously set to step away from the Masters field in 2024 but pushed his plans back to this season while trying to recover from an Achilles tendon injury.
The 2025 tournament will be a bittersweet farewell as well as a celebration of Langer’s relentless stay in professional golf and at Augusta National.
By the numbers in Bernhard Langer's career:
- Events Entered: 41 (including 2025)
- Debut Year: 1982
- Cuts Made: 27
- Rounds Played: 134
- Low Round: 66
- High Round: 80
- Rounds Under Par: 44
- Scoring Average: 72.84
- Money Won at the Masters: Over $2 million