Bernhard Langer shot a blistering ten under par 62 to win the 3M Championship on the US Champions Tour and claim his 15th title on the circuit.
A week after missing out on a second Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex title, where he led going into the final round at Turnberry before slipping back to a share of sixth place, Langer overcame a six stroke deficit on the final day for his first win in 17 months, bringing a 24 event victory drought to an end.
His ten birdie 62 took him to 18 under par 198 at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota, for a two stroke victory over American David Peoples.
"Winning is always special, but this is pretty important because it's been a while since I've won, and especially after what I've been through the last few weeks being in contention and not being able to close the deal," said Langer, who also led the US Senior Open three weeks ago with 18 holes to play before being beaten by Roger Chapman. "It was very important for my confidence to pull off a win here sooner than later."
Langer, who won the same title in 2009, was five under on the front nine before adding birdies on the 11th and 12th to get within two shots of the lead. Another brace of birdies on the 14th and 15th put him level with Peoples at 17 under.
And when Peoples bogeyed the 16th, Langer put his 218-yard approach within about eight feet on the par-5 18th to set up a clinching birdie. It was the largest final-round comeback in the history of the tournament.
"It's not easy to play with a big lead and you start to protect a little bit and you don't start to shoot at the flag or whatever," Langer said. "David hasn't won a lot of tournaments lately, but he's a great player, and I figured if I could put the pressure on it might be harder for him to close the deal."
Langer joins Hale Irwin as the only multiple winners in the event - Irwin won in 1997, 1999 and 2002 – and his cheque of $262,500 moved him to the top of the US Champions Tour Money List with $1,411,336.
