DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Bernhard Langer is once again tearing up the PGA Tour Champions circuit, ranking second on the money list through 11 events. If Langer can finally break through at one of the rare courses that has repeatedly vexed him, he might leave Iowa in first place. Langer enters this weekend’s Principal Charity Classic at Wakonda Club in Des Moines with 37 career victories in the senior series. But the German has notched just two top-10s in five tries in Iowa, including a frustrating fourth-place finish in 2017. Langer should be considered among the favorites though, despite his mixed history in Des Moines.

In his last four starts this season, Langer has a win and two second-place finishes. He should be well rested after taking two weeks off to celebrate his son’s high school graduation back in Germany.
The three-round senior golf tournament tees off Friday.Langer will be joined by seven golfers who’ve won this tournament, including defending champion Brandt Jobe. Jobe snapped a winless streak stretching nearly 20 years by shooting a final-round 69 last year at Wakonda, holding off Kevin Sutherland and his former UCLA roommate Scott McCarron. Jobe went on a strong run after winning in Iowa, but had a sluggish start in 2018. Jobe has since bounced back, finishing in the top 10 in two of his last three events.

Based on his performance at Wakonda the past two years, perhaps no one is better positioned for a strong weekend than McCarron. McCarron won the event in 2016 before falling one stroke short last year. McCarron is eighth on the money list despite not winning a tournament yet this season, though he tied for third at the Senior PGA Championship in late May. As for the course, it’s hilly with narrow fairways that ranked 10th-toughest among 27 events a year ago. Weather could be a factor as well, with the possibility of thunderstorms in the forecast for Friday and Saturday.