AUGUSTA, Ga. — Six players age 50 or older made the Masters cut this week, and three of them finished in the Top 20.
None was better than Miguel Angel Jimenez, who finished tied for fourth at 4-under par just months removed from his 50th birthday. Bernhard Langer, age 56, finished tied for eighth at even par. Fred Couples, 54, was in contention for the fifth consecutive year and finished tied for 20th at 2-over after a disappointing final-round 7.
“It feels nice; I was playing very well,’’ Jimenez said. “[Sunday] my putting was a little bit too cold. It was not enough.’’
Langer, after shooting 69 Sunday, waxed on about how the Champions Tour has enabled the older players to compete in the majors.
“Yes, I think it’s a statement,’’ Langer said. “There’s a lot of good over-50 players. We can compete at the highest level and even on a very, very long golf course like this one. Guys stay in better shape and they know that there’s a great tour with the Champions Tour waiting for them.
“In their late 40s they don’t kind of quit and say I’m kind of done. They’re actually maybe working harder at it knowing they’re going to have five or 10 years, maybe more, on the Champions Tour. So they focus on that and they pace themselves.
“A lot of guys used to say, ‘I don’t want to be on the Senior Tour so I’ll just quit when I’m 40 or 45’ or something like that. It’s all changed now.’’
Langer said “experience matters’’ at Augusta. He went from missing six consecutive Masters cuts to finishing tied for 25th last year. He bettered that this year.
“He’s probably the hardest worker on the Champions Tour, by far, and that’s why he plays so well,’’ Couples said of Langer. “Bernhard just had a great week.’’
Jimenez said the performances of the seniors this week give him hope that someday a player from the Champions Tour will win a Masters.
“Why not?’’ he said. “Fred Couples played nice. Langer played nice.’’