Jonathan Weiner
PHOENIX — Bernhard Langer squatted to tee up his ball instead of bending at the waist. Lining up putts looked like he was doing calf stretches against a wall, more of a chest-high view than ground level.
By the sixth hole, the 64-year-old gave up on retrieving the ball from the hole altogether, asking caddie Terry Holt to do it for him.
Any other tournament, Langer would have withdrawn. He nearly did anyway, even with a sixth Schwab Cup on the line.
Playing through pain, Langer shot a 3-under 68 in the opening round of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship on Thursday, putting him three behind Phil Mickelson and two others.
“It was the most pain I’ve had playing golf in 30 years,” Langer said. “It was pretty bad. I told Terry I probably…
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