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Langer, back in Germany, seeking historic win at BMW International

By PA Sport
Published on
Langer, back in Germany, seeking historic win at BMW International

COLOGNE, Germany -- Bernhard Langer will continue his bid to become the European Tour's oldest winner at the BMW International Open this week.

Nobody over the age of 48 has ever lifted a title on the circuit, but the 54-year-old Langer has proved he has plenty left in the tank. He currently leads the Champions Tour yet again, with more than $900,000 banked.

"I will do my best to be up there with the front-runners," Langer said. "You never know how things will turn out.

"I have been really successful in the USA in recent months and my swing is in good shape," he added. "We'll just have to wait and see how things pan out."

The former Ryder Cup captain underwent thumb surgery last year and his recovery took longer than he was told to expect, but he has been able to play a full schedule this season.

Langer's 42 victories in Europe are second only to the late Seve Ballesteros -- he reached 50 -- but the last came 10 years ago at the Volvo Masters in Spain.

Nine of his successes have come in Germany, but not the BMW Internatoinal crown. He is a five-time runner-up, though, and the last of those was only five years ago.

The tournament switches this season from Munich to the Gut Larchenhof course, where he claimed the German Masters title in 2001.

John Daly was a runner-up then and the two-time major winner is also over from the United States this week, while Sergio Garcia, Martin Kaymer, Thomas Bjorn and Retief Goosen are among those who have travelled on from the U.S. Open in San Francisco.