Two golf fans cause controversy by wearing Bernhard Langer 'cheating' T-shirts in front of him

Two golf fans caused a stir during the opening round of the Charles Schwab Championship at Phoenix Country Club after trailing Bernhard Langer in matching T-shirts, while accusing the German legend of “cheating” by anchoring his putter.

Swedish pro Fredrik Lindblom spotted the pair shadowing Langer, 68, throughout the PGA Tour Champions season finale and quickly shared the moment on X / Twitter. 

“Developing story!” posted Lindblom. 

“Spotted two guys following Bernhard Langer at the Tour Championship with shirts on that claim he’s cheating by anchoring his putter.”

The front of the shirts read “USGA Rule 10.1B” alongside an image of the two-time Masters champion using his trademark broomstick. 

A follow-up video from Lindblom, which you can watch below, showed the duo positioning themselves close to Langer on the tee.

The back printed an even more provocative line: “Anchoring is not a crime… it’s just against the rules.”

One of the men was identified as TrotGolfer on X — a user well known for criticising Langer’s putting technique. 

The popular Monday Q Info account chimed in: “That’s Trot. His only goal in life is to stop him from anchoring.”

Another user also identified him. 

Langer has used a long putter for more than two decades, first adopting the broomhandle model in the early 2000s to combat the yips. 

He dominated the PGA Tour Champions after 2007 with an Odyssey White Hot 2-Ball Long that remained in his bag until its shaft snapped in 2021.

Langer won three times during his PGA Tour career, highlighted by two Masters wins in 1985 and 1993, and a whopping 42 times on the European Tour, which second behind late great Seve Ballesteros (50) in the all-time victory count. 

But Langer tops the charts on the over 50s PGA Tour Champions, a circuit Tiger Woods might be joining next season, with a leading 47 titles. 

Although the R&A and USGA outlawed anchoring in 2016, Langer has continued to putt with a legal non-anchored “piston” method — keeping the grip away from his chest while pivoting the club. 

Despite recurring social-media suspicion, golf’s governing bodies have never found him in breach of the rules.

Even Tiger Woods' former long-time coach Hank Haney questioned if Langer was still anchoring his putter in 2023. 

Still, the criticism has only intensified in recent years, with TrotGolfer among the most vocal detractors. 

Nevertheless, if the two shirt-wearing hecklers hoped to rattle the German, they failed.

Langer calmly carded a 2-under 69, finishing the day four shots off the early lead at the Charles Schwab Championship.