CARLSBAD, Calif. – COBRA PUMA GOLF has announced a long-term partnership with Bryson DeChambeau the 22-year-old phenom who last year became only the fifth golfer ever to win the NCAA Men’s Individual Championship and the U.S. Amateur in the same calendar year.

DeChambeau, who is playing his first pro tournament this week at the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head Island, S.C., will be wearing PUMA Golf apparel, accessories and footwear during all his on-course play, incorporating his signature Hogan Driver Cap and Red, White & Blue ensemble on Sundays, a nod to his alma mater – Southern Methodist University. Additionally, he will fill his COBRA staff bag with COBRA Golf equipment during tournament play.

“Bryson has this unique combination of talent, ingenuity and personality that makes him such a dynamic golfer and a great fit for the COBRA PUMA GOLF brands. He shares in our mission of Game Enjoyment and our desire to grow the game and make it more fun and inclusive for golfers of all levels,” said Robert Philion, President & CEO of COBRA PUMA Golf. “Right away we noticed his progressive approach to the game, which is rooted in science and art, along with his passion and dedication. We can’t be more thrilled to have him as part of our COBRA PUMA GOLF family.”

“I believe that I found the perfect partner in COBRA PUMA GOLF,” said DeChambeau. “The COBRA and PUMA brands complement my style, attitude and desire to be innovative, while allowing me to continue to be myself, and think outside the box. I’m really thrilled to be part of this cutting-edge and creative company.”

What’s currently in DeChambeau’s bag:

• Driver: Cobra King F6+ Pro 7^o | Oban Kiyoshi Tour Limited 70X | 45 in” | weight removed
• 3 wood: Cobra King F6 14.2^o | Oban Kiyoshi Tour Limited 70X | 43 in” | 61.5 ^o
• Utility: KING Utility Iron 18.5 ^o D | Project X HZRDUS Black Hybrid 6.5 105x
• Irons: Edel Prototype (3-P) | KBS Tour C-Taper Lite 115X |37.5 in”, 73 o | Lofts: 25 (3), 30 (5), 34 (6), 38 (7), 42 (8), 46 (P)
• Wedges: Cobra King V Grind 50°, 55° and 60° | 37.5 in” 73 o

For more information about COBRA PUMA GOLF’s athletes, brand ambassadors and product, please visit www.cobragolf.ca.

As the sweating glass bottle of cool Coco-Cola that Matthew Yustin had hidden behind his principal’s seat in the school cafeteria started to wobble, the Canadian had no idea how much trouble he was going to get into. Nor did he know that “The Real Thing” would change his life forever.

The 14-year-old, Grade 8 student from Toronto had been attending Singapore American School for a couple of years, while his dad was working in Hong Kong. On this day, the clever practical joker nonchalantly crept behind the wooden picnic bench where Principal Fogie was sitting with the rest of the faculty and placed the bottle precariously on the edge. With 200 children eating lunch and a slab of hard concrete as the floor, the stage was set. As Principal Fogie stood up to leave, the bottle came toppling down, exploding with a crashing spray that dampened many a teacher and students.

“It really was quite funny. All the kids burst out laughing and clapped their hands and I ran up the hill and laughed my ass of,” says Yustin, who was recently named the PGA of Ontario Golf Professional of the Year for 2015. Needless to say, Principal Fogie was seriously pissed, and Matthew was suspended, for the first and only time in his life.

To this point in his life, Yustin hadn’t played any golf, didn’t really understand the game, preferring motocross. As a form of punishment, his mother forced Matthew to attend the Singapore Open to keep the teen out of her hair for a few days.

“It was March 16^th when I went to the Friday round. I fell in love with the game at that very instant, then followed him for two more days on the weekend,” says Yustin who is now 58 and has three of his own children, Alexandra, 24, Matthew Jr., 18 and Gracie, 16 with his wife Andrea.

“I followed Dean May, a cool California dude with long, blond haired and had a blast each and every day. I had our chauffeur take me to get my hair cut just like Dean’s, bought some polyester pants to match his look and started taking lessons on the Monday from Norman Von Nida, a very famous Australian PGA touring pro and coach who taught David Graham to play. It was love at first sight, the real thing for me and it hasn’t diminished one bit.”

Five years later, the Yustin’s returned to Canada and Matthew, who was a scratch golfer at that time, started playing golf at St. George’s Golf & Country Club where his father was a member. He spent four years taking Soviet Studies at the University of Toronto, but in reality he had golf on his brain 24/7 and he would sit in class doodling and drawing golf holes  . . .  It’s still on his mind as much today and one of the reasons, even after 30 years in the business, that he’s at the top of his game as one of the top golf professionals in the country.

It was almost lights out for Yustin in 1985 as the 26-year-old drove home from an assistant’s golf tournament at The National Golf Club of Canada.

“I woke up in the driver’s seat screaming in pain, I was trapped and the priest was giving me my last rights,” says Yustin who suffered a broken leg, broken femur, broken pelvis, broken hip, broken knee, broken nose, a half-dozen broke ribs and loss of bunch of teeth as a result of the carelessness of a drunken driver. “I listen to the news today, 30 years later and so little has changed, it’s disgusting.” After two years of rehab, he learned to walk again, but he lives with the pain and memories every day.

As far as a golf career goes in the Greater Toronto Area, it’s would be difficult to come up with a better list of employers than Yustin’s. He first worked as an assistant at Oakdale Golf & Country Club for five years and Mississaugua Golf & Country Club for three years – then as a head professional at The Mandarin Golf & Country Club for a decade and Lambton Golf & Country Club where he has been since 2004.

“Gar Hamilton has been my role model and mentor in this business. In my eyes he is the epitome of what it takes to be a club professional. After I worked for him at Mississaugua I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life, be a head professional at a private club with ivy on the clubhouse in the GTA,” says Yustin, who also gives kudos to the likes of Neil Verwey from St. George’s Golf & Country Club, Phil Hardy from Beacon Hall for steering him in the right direction and PGA of Canada Master Professional Bruce McCarrol.

In the fall of 1992, Yustin was playing golf with Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Dave Stieb at Mississaugua when he received a call from a friend at Lambton with connections at Mandarin. They were interviewing that night for a new head professional and Yustin had one moment to decide if he wanted to drop everything and head downtown for an interview or finish the game. Yustin left Stieb on the 16^th, printed out his resume in the golf shop and headed to Toronto.

“I walked into the job interview and started speaking Chinese, that I had learned while being in Singapore, and the job was mine,” says Yustin who cracked open “The Real Thing” to celebrate.

At Lambton, Yustin and his team, which includes PGA of Canada professionals Chris Vasey, Darryl Pan and Steve Manock, who transferred from The Mandarin when Yustin came on board, have continued to provide a level of service that the club had not previously experienced. His wife, Andrea does all the merchandising and all their children worked in the shop at one time or another.

“When I was hired I made a promise to provide members with a gold level standard of service similar to what guests of the Ritz Carlton Hotel experience and we try to improve on that daily,” says Yustin who has filled the golf shop with antiques to give it a personal touch. “We provide a level of service that goes beyond the expectations of our members and their guests, that is all I ask of my staff,” he says, noting that can mean long days at the club, but as another Coca-Cola slogan says goes, “You can’t beat the feeling.”

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru is pleased to announce a one-year agreement with adidas Canada, who have signed on as the exclusive apparel partner of the program.

Committed to growing women’s participation, Golf Fore the Cure boasts over 100,000 participants throughout 12 seasons. During that period, the program has raised over $5.4 million dollars for the Canadian Cancer Society and Québec Breast Cancer Foundation in support of breast cancer research.

“Golf Fore the Cure has a long track record of growing participation in the sport and promoting a healthy, active lifestyle,” said Lesley Hawkins, Brand Director of adidas Golf. “We are excited to enter into this partnership and are honoured to be the exclusive apparel partner for a program centred around such a great cause.”

As a Pink Partner of Golf Fore the Cure, adidas Canada will provide uniforms for each site coordinator and National Event participant, a $100 online gift card to the leading fundraiser at each event, full outfits for the top-three fundraising teams and a cash investment towards the program.

“adidas has a lengthy history of supporting recreational sport and we are thrilled to align the brand with Golf Fore the Cure,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “The iconic adidas mark represents a fantastic opportunity to engage more women in our sport and we look forward to a very successful partnership.”

There is no cost to you or your club to participate! Click here to register for Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru.

In a time when some question the future of our sport, golfers in the Brantford area have been very passionate recently in defence of one of the city’s municipal golf facilities that was on the verge of closure. Council has just voted to keep the course open after the rallying cry of area residents.  Now…what is next for Arrowdale Golf Club?

Enter Director of Operations, Jeff Moore – a PGA of Canada Professional with a long history of successful junior programs. Jeff has a new focus and a new vision for Arrowdale – as the perfect place to begin learning and enjoying the game.  Jeff believes that “if you take care of the kids, the parents are not going to be too far behind.” It’s important to look at the present…and the future.

I have long said that golf has been good to my family and I would not trade our memories made on the golf course over the years for anything.  I believe that the strength of our future as a sport lies in being a fun family activity. Our great game is time well-spent together outdoors with great conversation – whether it be close to home or a destination around the world – where all generations can and should be included.

Jeff Moore recently spoke with the Brant News about building this family dynamic, starting with the juniors at Arrowdale this season and the progression that can follow. It’s an interesting article and you can read it here.

Christine Dengel is a PGA of Canada golf professional with more than 30 years of experience in multiple facets of the golf industry, and a lifelong passion for and commitment to the game of golf.Prior to joining Golf Canada, she was a Territory Sales Manager for Callaway Golf Canada for 18 years. During her time with Callaway, Dengel managed the GTA and Southwestern Ontario territory from 1992-2005 and has managed the Southern Ontario territory since 2006.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Danny Willett in a green jacket was hard to believe considering he wasn’t even sure he could play the Masters two weeks ago.

Jordan Spieth was even more stunned.

Nine holes away from history, the defending Masters champion threw it all away in a collapse around Amen Corner that was shocking even by Augusta National standards. He played the opening three holes of the back nine in 6 over par, including a quadruple bogey at the 12th.

Willet, five shots behind with six holes left to play, birdied three of his last six holes to polish off a round that might not get its due because of Spieth’s meltdown. He closed with a 5-under 67, with no bogeys on his card, to match the best score of the weekend.

The 28-year-old Englishman wasn’t even planning to play. His wife was due with their first child on this very day. Their son, Zachariah James, was born on March 30, clearing Willett to a most unlikely path to becoming a major champion.

Willett won in his second Masters, ending Europe’s 17-year drought at Augusta National, and he became the first player from England to win the green jacket since Nick Faldo in 1996.

How fitting. Faldo also shot 67 that day in a final round remembered more for Greg Norman throwing away a six-shot lead.

Spieth, trying to become the first player in history to win wire-to-wire in a major in successive years, ran off four straight birdies to end the front nine and build a five-shot lead.

And then it all fell apart.

A bogey from the bunker on No. 10. A tee shot into the trees on No. 11 that led to another bogey. Willett made birdie on the 14th to get within one shot. Spieth only needed to get past the dangerous par-3 12th hole to settle himself, especially with two par 5s in front of him.

Instead, his tee shot bounced off the slope and into the water. From the drop zone, his wedge was fat and Spieth turned his head. He didn’t even look as it plopped into the water again. He made a quadruple-bogey 7.

On the 10th tee, Spieth was five shots ahead. On the 13th tee, he was three shots behind.

Spieth still had a chance when he birdied both par 5s to get within two shots with three to play. But he missed an 8-foot birdie putt on the 16th, and his bogey from the bunker ended all hope. He closed with a 73 and tied for second with Lee Westwood (69).

CARTAGENA, Colombia – Canada’s Brad Fritsch won the Servientrega Championship on Sunday for his first Web.com Tour title, beating Ollie Schniederjans with a par on the first hole of a playoff.

The 38-year-old from the Ottawa area  shot a 1-under 71 to match Schniederjans at 11-under 277 at TPC Cartagena at Karibana. Fritsch, who earned full-time status on the Web.com Tour this season through qualifying school, earned US$126,000.

Schniederjans had a 69, then made a triple bogey on the par-5 18th in the playoff.

Tag Ridings was third at 9 under after a 69.

“This is huge,” said Fritsch, who collected a check for $126,000 at the trophy ceremony. “My whole golfing life I haven’t won a lot. This is easily the biggest win against the best field that I’ve ever faced.”

“I mean, obviously it gives me a nice jump on getting my card for next year,” continued Fritsch, who jumped to No. 5 on the Tour money list. “To do something I’ve never really done before and to execute under pressure on 18, I love it. I want that feeling again.”

Fritsch hit what he called the greatest shot in his life on the first extra hole. With 220 yards from the right side of the fairway, the 38-year-old from Edmonton, Alberta opted for a long iron and striped it to 20 feet under the hole. From there, Fritsch only needed to make par to claim his first trophy as Schniederjans pulled his tee ball into the pond left of the fairway.

“I wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, but I hit a great shot,” said Fritsch, who hit his second before Schniederjans took a drop. “This time I hit the 4-iron, figuring that if I could get that on and two putt, he would have to get it up and down.”

Schniederjans took a drop; mishit is third from the left rough and dunked his third into the hazard. The 22-year-old former No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings took another penalty stroke and sailed the green with his fifth shot.

“It was kind of awkward,” said Fritsch, who received a standing ovation as he approached the green. “I had people congratulating me walking to the green and my caddy kind of gave me a high five.”

Fritsch tried to compose himself, but he still three putted for par. After the putt fell, the 16-year-old pro was overcome with emotion as his good friend and fellow Tour player Tag Ridings showered him with beer to celebrate.

The lead changed hands quite a few times throughout the final round. Schniederjans tied Fritsch at 11-under with a birdie on the 16th hole, but gave it right back with a bogey at 17. The Dallas, Texas native closed with a birdie at the par-5 18th to post 11-under to take the clubhouse lead. At that very moment, Fritsch bogeyed the 17th hole to drop one back of Schniederjans heading into the home hole.

“I was just trying to grind my way in,” said Fritsch. “I’m a scoreboard watcher and I’ll watch it. I knew he (Schniederjans) birdied 18.”

Fritsch responded on the final hole hitting a hybrid from 227 yards to just off the back of the green. He tried to chip it in, spun it two feet short of the hole and knocked in the birdie try to force overtime. The rest was history.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Where does Jordan Spieth go from here?

He could have been sailing along on the second act to one of the greatest years in golf history. Instead, the young Texan left Augusta shaking his head, and trying to figure out how to shake off one of the most epic collapses in the history of the game.

It won’t be easy.

“Big picture, this one will hurt,” Spieth said, still sounding in a bit of shock outside the Augusta National clubhouse Sunday evening after it all slipped away. “It will take a while.”

Not only will Spieth have to erase the memory of his splashdown on No. 12 – a quadruple-bogey 7 that included two water balls and turned a one-time five-shot lead into a three-shot deficit to the eventual champion, Danny Willett.

Spieth will also have to clear all the bad thoughts out of his head. Over the weekend, he played 31 holes of good-to-great golf and put himself in position for a second green jacket at the tender age of 22. Those other five holes were 17 and 18 on Saturday, then 10, 11 and 12 on Sunday. He went a cumulative 9 over on those and had bad swing thoughts that he simply couldn’t overcome.

“The wheels kind of came off the last … holes on Saturday,” said Spieth, who brought his coach, Cameron McCormick, back into Augusta for a quick tuneup before tee time in the final round.

It helped. For a while.

My confidence going into the first hole was fantastic,” said Spieth, who made four straight birdies to hit the turn at 7 under, in the lead by five strokes. “But listen, I had my ‘B-minus’ game tee to green. Ultimately, you have to have your ‘A’ game every single part, and I just didn’t have those iron swings, as it showed on the back nine.”

All of which set up an awkward award presentation in Butler Cabin, which was then replicated on the practice green in front of the clubhouse.

First, Spieth had to present the green jacket to Willett in front of the television cameras.

Then, he had to do it again for the patrons.

Willett earned the honor by shooting a bogey-free round of 67 that left him three ahead of Spieth and Lee Westwood. Willett finished at 5-under 283.

Still looking a bit shocked, Spieth managed to muddle through.

“I can’t imagine that was fun for anyone to experience,” he said, “other than maybe Danny’s team and those who are fans of him.”

He fully expected to be taking home his own green jacket for another year, as is the custom for the Masters champion.

“I can’t think of anybody else who may have had a tougher ceremony to experience,” said Spieth, who now has to leave his jacket at the club.

For Willett, this is a career-changing victory that almost never got started. His first child was due Sunday. But Zachariah James Willett came early, on March 30, which allowed the new dad to rebook his ticket to Augusta and play in his second Masters.

Now, Willett can be mentioned in the same sentence with none other than Nick Faldo – the only other Englishman to wear the green jacket.

Faldo’s third and final victory at Augusta came courtesy of Greg Norman’s epic collapse back in 1996. Willett’s came courtesy of Spieth, though the 28-year-old Englishman, who will move up to ninth in world ranking, did plenty to earn the victory, as well.

He went bogey-free through the last 18 holes, which looks all the more impressive considering the shaky play going on around him.

Westwood, still 0-for-the-majors, chipped in for an eagle on 15 to get within one shot of the lead, only to miss a 4-footer to save par at the 16th – right after Willett had drained a longer birdie putt.

The two-shot swing finished off Westwood, who at least showed he’s still got game at age 42 after enduring a winless 2015, when his focus was clearly distracted by a divorce and a move back to his native England to be closer to his kids.

“Obviously, I must be doing something right,” Westwood said.

Dustin Johnson, another extremely talented player who has dealt with personal issues, also got within a shot of the lead but couldn’t pull out his first major title.

For Johnson, it was a familiar story – plenty of good shots, but some shaky putting and mistakes at the most inopportune times. He double-bogeyed the fifth and was all done after another double-bogey at the 17th. He finished in a tie for fourth with J.B. Holmes and Paul Casey, four shots back.

“I think my game’s exactly where it needs to be,” Johnson said, not looking at it as another one he let get away. “I feel like I’ve got control of my game. I’m looking forward to the year for sure.”

For Spieth, the next major can’t come soon enough.

But he has to wait two painful months for the U.S. Open at Oakmont.

Time to clear his head, and try to move past the one he gave away.

“I’m very confident in the way that we play the game of golf,” Spieth said. “I think that when we’re on, I believe we’re the best in the world.”

LAKE WALES, Fla. – Canada’s Samantha Richdale won the Symetra Tour’s Florida’s Natural Charity Classic on Sunday, closing with a 3-under 69 for a one-stroke victory.

The 32-year-old Kelowna, B.C., player had a 7-under 209 total at Lake Wales Country Club. She earned $26,250 for her fourth career victory on the tour. She won once in 2008 and twice in 2009.

“I’m very excited,” said Richdale, who last won on the Symetra Tour on August 23, 2009 at the Turkey Hill Classic in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. “It seems like forever the last time I won so this is a big day for me.”

Richdale, 31, started the day with two pars and then made bogey on the third. She responded with birdies on the fourth and sixth holes and made the turn at 5-under, two shots off the lead held at the time by Kana Nagai (Tokyo, Japan). As Nagai began to fade with bogeys on 11, 14 and 15, Richdale took control. She made birdie on the par-5 13th and then chipped in for birdie from left of the green at the par-4 14th to take a two shot lead. She tripped up on the par-3 15th by missing the green right, but closed with three pars.

“Overall, my game worked out well and I was able to hit some good shots and even when I didn’t I was able to hit some really good short game shots,” said Richdale. “This was a big confidence builder for me.”

Fifteen-year-old amateur Ya-Chun Chang of Taiwan and Sweden’s Madelene Sagstrom tied for second.

The pair didn’t make it easy for Richdale down the stretch. Sagstrom birdied 11, 13 and 14 and got within one of Richdale when she bogeyed the 15th. Chang had a 25-footer for birdie on the 18th to tie and nearly rolled it in.

“I was thinking about missing my flight to Hawaii so I wasn’t really paying attention,” said Richdale of Chang’s final putt. “I really grinded and they played really well so it pushed me to play a little bit better.”

Richdale had a flight to Los Angeles tonight to go play in the LOTTE Championship on the LPGA this coming Wednesday. She wasn’t able to make the flight and is undecided on whether she will try to get a different flight to Hawaii or play in Fort Myers next week on the Symetra Tour.

“My ultimate goal is to get better status on the LPGA,” explained Richdale, who has partial status based on her T41 finish at LPGA Qualifying Tournament in 2015. “At this point, I’m not sure of my plans so I’m thinking about going to Gary’s Oyster Bar for a celebratory dinner.”

Richdale is now second all-time in career earnings on the Symetra Tour.

“I just tried to stay calm out there and have fun and take it one shot at a time,” said Richdale. “I really committed to playing my game and hitting my shots and it worked.”

Team Canada Youtn Pro Squad member Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Toronto finished tied for 4th after a final round 69 left her at 4-under for the championship.

The Symetra Tour heads to Fort Myers for the third annual Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial from April 14-17 at Cypress Lake Country Club. It’s a joint event with the Legends Tour.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – What looked to be another march to the Masters for Jordan Spieth suddenly turned into a walk on the wild side Saturday.

Ultimately, Spieth was still in the lead for the seventh straight round at Augusta National, one round away from another green jacket.

But he sure made it hard on himself.

Leading by four shots with two holes to play, having handled the worst of the wicked wind, Spieth hit two wild tee shots and two poor wedges that led to a bogey and a double bogey for a 1-over 73.

He had a one-shot lead over Smylie Kaufman, Spieth’s junior golf buddy who is playing in his first Masters. And Spieth gave plenty of hope to a cast of challengers that range from 58-year-old Bernhard Langer to world No. 1 Jason Day. Hideki Matsuyama was tied with Langer at 1 under, hoping to become the first man from Japan to win a major.

Spieth was at 3-under 213.

“Understand this is the position I wanted to be in after 54 holes and not think about the finish to today’s round,” Spieth said.

Kaufman, who qualified for his first Masters by closing with a 61 to win in Las Vegas in October, kept stress to a minimum and rolled in one last birdie down the hill on the 16th for a 69, the low score of the day.

The biggest surprise was Langer, who won the first of his two Masters in 1993, three months before Spieth was born. On the 30th anniversary of Jack Nicklaus becoming the oldest Masters champion at 46, Langer is two shots behind in his quest to become the oldest major champion by 10 years. Langer ran off three straight birdies on the back nine and posted a 70.

He even beat Day, who was hitting it some 60 yards by him. Day managed a 71, and thanks to Spieth’s late implosion, goes into the final round just three shots behind.

Day was tied with Dustin Johnson, who had a 72, and Danny Willett (72), the Englishman who didn’t think he was going to be able to play his first Masters until his wife gave birth to their first child.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – On the 30th anniversary of Jack Nicklaus’ final Masters victory, another ageless blond is making a run at the green jacket.

This one would be even more remarkable.

Fifty-eight-year-old Bernhard Langer used all his wits and guile to shoot a 2-under 70 on another challenging day at Augusta National, giving himself a shot Sunday at becoming the oldest major champion in golf history.

Leader Jordan Spieth – who was born almost four months after the second of Langer’s Masters victories in 1993 – was still on the course when the German finished out his stunning round on a bit of a downer, making a bogey at the 18th after an errant drive left him behind a giant magnolia tree.

Still, Langer walked off Saturday just three shots out of the lead, assured of playing in one of the final groups Sunday. He flipped his ball to a fan and headed off to ponder the idea of beating the record for the oldest major winner by a full decade.

“I’ll put my feet up, get some rest, and hopefully have a late tee time,” Langer said with a smile.

Julius Boros was 48 when he captured the PGA Championship in 1968. Nicklaus remains the oldest Masters champ, taking his sixth title at 46. And it was Nicklaus who contended again one final time at Augusta in 1998, at roughly the same age as Langer, before settling for sixth.

“I’ve been saying it’s going to happen sooner or later,” said Langer, mindful that two other players over 50 – Davis Love III and Larry Mize – also made the Masters cut. “Guys like Davis Love and Vijay Singh and Fred Couples are long enough to win the majors. I’m not quite at their distance, but I try to make up for it in other areas.”

Playing alongside the world’s top-ranked player,
less-than-half-his-age Jason Day, Langer showed that there are many
ways to get around Augusta National.

At the eighth hole, the 28-year-old Day drove it nearly 300 yards, and then left his approach about 40 yards from the flag. Langer’s drive was some 50 yards behind the young Aussie’s, which was pretty much par for the course all day, and he was still some 100 yards away after his second shot drifted off to the right.

But Langer stuck his third shot to 4 feet and made the birdie putt. Day left his much-shorter approach shot 7 feet off the flag – and missed the putt.

“Jason was outdriving me by many, many yards,” Langer said. “That was a big difference to make up. But so far, so good.”

Day was certainly impressed.

“When you consider some of the positions he is playing from compared to where I was, it was unbelievable,” said Day, who shot 71 and was one stroke behind Langer’s 1-under 215 total. “He plods along and knows his strengths and weaknesses. I had a lot of fun playing with him. I could tell how gritty he is and how much of a competitor he is.”

Langer, who will turn 59 in August, used a run of three straight birdies through the middle of the back side to charge up the leaderboard, highlighted by a chip-in at the 14th after Day sank a long putt of his own.

Can Langer pull off such shots one more day and actually win?

“I believe I can,” he said. “If I play my best, I can shoot 4 or 5 under.”

Tom Watson was 59 when he lost in a playoff at the 2009 British Open, but that was on the links of Turnberry – a manageable layout for a senior still on his game. But Augusta is a young man’s course, which is why Watson played the Masters for the final time this year and Ian Woosnam, who is actually a few months younger than Langer, announced Friday he was done after shooting two rounds in the 80s.

But Langer is still trim with a full head of wavy air, albeit with a bit of grey around the edges. He doesn’t concede anything to the younger guys.

“There are different ways to get around out there,” he said.

Langer leaves nothing to chance. As he stepped to the ninth hole, he kicked away a magnolia leaf, carefully paced off where he wanted to tee it up from, then brushed off a couple of more leaves.

He is steady and persistent, a professor of the fairways, taking full advantage of the vast knowledge accumulated over 33 Masters appearances. He won the tournament in 1985, while playing the final day in the next-to-last group with the late Seve Ballesteros, and it was Langer who awarded Nicklaus the last of his six green jackets the following year.

Langer won again at Augusta in ’93 for his only other major.

Now, he’s got a shot at one for the ages.