Two-time Masters champ Bernhard Langer, sidelined by pickleball injury, will be unable to compete in 2024 Masters
Two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer tore an Achilles tendon playing pickleball, sidelining the all-time great senior player for at least three months and forcing him to miss the upcoming Masters tournament in April.
Two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer tore an Achilles tendon playing pickleball, sidelining the all-time great senior player for at least three months and forcing him to miss the upcoming Masters tournament in April.
Langer, 66, told the "Musings on Golf" podcast that he was playing the increasingly popular racket sport "to stay fit" in February when he heard a "pop."
“I play all sorts of sports to stay fit, and this was part of my fitness regime,” Langer said on the podcast, which dropped Tuesday. “I was playing pickleball here in Woodfield [Florida], where I live and have a lot of fun, and, just, somebody was trying to lob me. I did a few steps backward and hit an overhead, and as I landed on the ground with my feet, I heard this huge ‘pop,’ very loud, like a gunshot."
Pickleball, which has become one of the country's fastest-growing activities, is particularly popular among senior citizens.
It resembles tennis but is played on a much smaller court, minimizing lower body movements and endurance while pushing players to maintain strong hand-eye coordination.
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