Langer's domination continues

BELMONT — There’s a crowded, close competition at the Constellation Senior Players Championship — for second place.

Bernhard Langer appears well on his way to winning the event for the second consecutive year. The 57-year-old German is at 16-under 197 after firing a third-round 67 on Saturday at Belmont Country Club. Russ Cochran is in second, eight shots back after shooting an even-par 71.

Scott Verplank, Colin Montgomerie, Jeff Hart and Guy Boros are tied for third, just one shot behind Cochran, but nine off the lead. Rhode Islander Billy Andrade carded a 5-under 66 to tie for the best round of the day and he’s among eight golfers at 6-under, 10 shots behind Langer.

The eight-shot 54-hole lead matches the largest in Champions Tour history. Last year, Langer led the Senior British Open by eight and he won by 13 for the greatest victory margin in Champions Tour history. Jack Nicklaus also led by eight in the 1991 Senior PGA Championship and won by six. Five strokes had been the largest three-round lead in this event.

The largest 54-hole lead blown in Champions Tour history is six shots. Raymond Floyd was in second after three rounds, six shots behind Jim Albus, but rallied to win the 1994 Senior Tour Championship.

Langer said even though he has a big lead he won’t play conservatively in the final round.

“At first probably I’m going to play just normal golf,” he said. “I have my game plan, what I try to do on every hole and depending where the pin position is I’m going to attack some and going to stay away from some others. My goal is to shoot under par and if I can do that it will be very difficult for anybody to catch me.”

The best hope for the rest of the field may be for the temperature to soar during the final round. It was in the low 80s on Saturday.

“Physically, I’m exhausted right now,” Langer said. “This is a hard course to walk and with the heat, I don’t really like hot weather. I’d rather put on a sweater. I like 60s and 70s so I’m always struggling when it’s hot.”

He didn’t look like he struggled Saturday.

Langer carded no bogeys for the second consecutive day and sank birdie putts of 12 feet on two, six feet on four, 18 feet on 11 and six feet on 17.

None of the golfers in the field had played Belmont CC before, but Langer said he had a bit of an advantage over the rest of the field because he walked the course with his friend, Hopkinton CC head pro Dave Lane, during his practice rounds. He also got a few pointers from his coach, Willie Hoffman, on the phone from Germany before the tournament.

Langer ranks only 27th on the Champions Tour in final-round scoring average (70.75), but he has such a big lead that may not matter. In Langer’s seven previous appearances in this event, he’s never shot higher than a 70 in the final round. If he shoots a 70 today, Cochran would have to card a 62 to force a playoff. Steve Pate shot a course-record 63 on Friday.

“He’s playing awfully well,” Cochran said. “He’s a super smart player and he’s rolling it really good. ... He’s a heck of a player and you expect him to take care of business.”

Langer is trying to become only the second golfer to win this event in consecutive years and the first since Arnold Palmer did in 1984 and 1985, the second and third years the tournament was held.

Langer has enjoyed one of the most successful Champions Tour careers of all-time, but he hasn’t won this season. The first-place check of $405,000 would come close to matching the $499,261 he’s made in nine events this season and it would push him past Jay Haas into third on the Champions Tour all-time money list with more than $16.4 million.

Langer admitted he wasn’t as focused on golf as he could have been earlier this year when his daughter underwent unsuccessful back surgery and a broken pelvis left his son in a wheelchair for four weeks and on crutches for another four before he recovered.

“That’s fine,” he said. “That’s what fathers do. That’s far more important than winning a golf tournament.”

Langer’s two sons are with him this week. They’re all staying at a home on the course that Lane helped arrange for him.

Contact Bill Doyle at william.doyle@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillDoyle15