Junior golfer Jason Langer has always been around golf as his dad Bernhard Langer played professional golf. (Left photo by Keith Allison | CC BY-SA 2.0)
As young children, many of us tried on our parents' clothes for fun. But most of our parents didn't have two Masters Green Jackets in their wardrobe.
Jason Langer first picked up a golf club at the age of two or three, following in the footsteps of his father, Bernhard Langer. He grew up in Boca Raton, Fla. and also spent some time in Germany. However, most of Jason Langer's childhood was spent traveling to golf tournaments his father was playing in.
“I was very immersed in [golf] from a young age,” Langer said. “But not in the typical way that you might expect, because my dad or my parents never really forced golf on me.”
Langer played numerous different sports through elementary and middle school, and he played both soccer and golf all throughout high school. Langer eventually made the decision to pursue golf at the collegiate level.
“I probably liked soccer more than golf as a kid, but, relatively, I was definitely better at golf,” Langer said. “Growing up in the sport my whole life, I enjoyed it and I really began to take it on as something that I loved on my own.”
Once he made this decision, Langer worked hard through high school to not only play golf at the collegiate level, but also make sure that it was at a school he really wanted to attend.
Langer's ultimate decision to commit to Penn was driven by his interest in Wharton and his amazing experiences on his recruiting visits. Langer fell in love with the team culture and felt connected with Penn's coach, Jason Calhoun.
“When we're in season and to a certain extent when we're not in season, [golf is] my life outside of classes," Langer said. "And I love that. I love the grind and being able to get up into early morning workouts, and then go to practice and go to class.”
Langer's teammates describe him as an integral part of the team, both on and off the course.
“Jason has been especially impactful in Penn golf. The kind of person he is — truly kind, and the way he’s just there for myself and other teammates, whenever you need to be talked up after having a rough day,” senior captain Mitchell Cornell said. “He’s been a leader on the team even in the first two years in more ways than you can expect out of sophomores.”
Unfortunately, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Langer has not been able to play in over a year. Still, Langer has had amazing experiences here at Penn. One that stood out to him the most was a trip the golf team took over spring break of his freshman year.
“During my freshman year, we actually went to Scotland for a spring break trip as a team,” he said. “Everyone on the team went, and our coach and a few Penn alum came as well. That was an amazing experience; Scotland is kind of the home of golf. So there’s a ton of really historic and famous courses over there that we got to play.”
Langer has also had amazing experiences not competing at Penn, but instead watching his father compete.
“One of my favorite weeks of the year is going to attend the Masters Tournament in Augusta, which I’ve been fortunate enough to go [to] many times,” Langer said. “It’s a whole different world, and there’s so many golf fans and all the best players in the world.”
Bernhard Langer is a two-time Masters champion, and in 2020, at the age of 63, he became the oldest player ever to make the tournament cut.
“It's really inspiring to be able to spend a whole week watching the best players in the world, and being out there with my family and supporting my dad was very special,” Jason Langer said.
Bernhard, who has always coached his son and is naturally very close with him, continues to give him advice.
“He always emphasized to focus on the fundamentals over anything else,” Jason Langer said. “I’m one to overanalyze a lot of things, so he always reminded me to focus on the little things. Making sure your grip is right, your alignment, or the ball position.”
This advice has helped strengthen Langer's patience, a quality that his teammates find admirable.
“Jason is quite good and helpful for the other guys on the team to be around, projecting a sense of calm and organization and readiness that is absolutely necessary,” Cornell said.
With his father having great success in the professional golf circuit, Langer has given a lot of thought to competing professionally after college. As of now, he does not plan on competing beyond Penn in any professional capacity.
“I just really love the game of golf, and I want to always love it and always be able to play it," Langer said. "I think if you turn pro, then it would become work, and I might not enjoy it as much.”
Langer still has set some big goals for himself and what he would like the team to achieve during his senior season, if competition returns. Right now, his primary focus is recovering from an injury he acquired during winter break.
“As a team, I would love to win the Ivy League title. That’s kind of our goal every year. We’ve only played in one Ivy title since I’ve been at college,” he said. “For me, I would love to finish first team All-Ivy. I think that would amazingly cap off my senior year.”
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