Bernhard Langer is no math major, but he’s got the Charles Schwab Cup points race figured out pretty well.
"At the Schwab Cup (championship) we get 880 points for first — that’s a lot of points," the two-time Masters champion said Sunday. "If I can win that, I might have a chance to catch up — as long as I’m not more than 880 points back."
The 18-time winner on the Champions Tour fell one shot short of a playoff for the Pacific Links Hawaii Championship at Kapolei Golf Course, closing with a 4-under 68 to finish in sole possession of third place.
Langer entered the week trailing points leader Kenny Perry by 857 in the race for the $1 million dollar prize that comes with winning the cup.
He entered Sunday five shots behind second-round leader Mark Wiebe and quickly closed that gap with birdies on the first two holes.
Langer then rattled off six straight pars before a birdie on No. 9 pulled him within two strokes of the lead at the turn.
"I knew I had to do more than that, but it was the right start," Langer said. "Better than making bogey somewhere and being six or seven behind."
A two-time winner on the Champions Tour already this year, Langer’s bid for a third was halted briefly by a bogey on 11.
Langer misjudged his second shot into the par-4 green and had to settle for his first bogey in 16 holes.
The Hall of Famer barely flinched at the hiccup, rebounding for his fourth and fifth birdies of the day on Nos. 14 and 15.
On the par-3 16th, Langer nestled his tee shot within 15 feet of the hole for a potential birdie to tie the leaders.
Instead, he walked off the green with a disappointing bogey after an uncharacteristic three-putt.
He putted less than 30 times in each of his three rounds in the 60s.
"That one hurt — badly," Langer admitted. "The bogey on 11 was painful, but I made a couple of birdies (after). Sixteen I had a possible birdie there or definitely a par and I end up with a bogey."
As he did on No. 12 however, Langer bounced right back with a birdie on the par-5 17th that played the easiest of the day.
He hit a perfect tee shot into the middle of the fairway on 18 to set up a good look at birdie, but left his approach way short as a gust of wind knocked it down.
He left his birdie putt short also to settle for a second straight 69, one behind Wiebe and Corey Pavin, who went to a playoff. Wiebe eventually won on the second playoff hole.
"My play was satisfying," Langer said. "I played pretty consistent most of the day. Just had two hiccups there."
Langer earned 130 points in the Cup race, pulling to within 727 of Perry, who finished outside of the top 10.
Langer has four tournaments left before the season finale, where all points are doubled.
One of those is the SAS Championship in North Carolina, where Langer is the defending champion.
"That has nothing to do with it, it was a year ago," Langer said. "Every week is a new week, I’m way behind, but this will help a little. Just trying to close the gap."
