Bernhard Langer, Ernie Els among 10 players to watch in inaugural Galleri Classic golf tourney

The PGA Tour Champions will come to the desert for the first time in more than two decades this week, but that doesn’t mean the tour is full of names golf fans in the desert won’t recognize.

From major champions to golfers who won The American Express title in the desert, here’s a look at 10 players to watch at the Galleri Classic in Rancho Mirage:

Bernhard Langer

The German star started winning on the PGA Tour Champions in 2007 and hasn’t stopped, compiling a record-tying 45 victories. That includes a win this year at the Chubb Classic at the age of 65. Langer is a must-watch golfer at any PGA Tour Champions event.

Steven Alker

One of the great success stories on the PGA Tour Champions, Alker was a journeyman player before turning 50. Since then, he’s won five titles, including four in 2022 on his way to the Charles Schwab Cup and player of the year honors. The New Zealand star is the flip side of the senior coin that rewards all-time champions, becoming a champion after his regular playing days.

Fred Couples

Perhaps the most popular player on the PGA Tour Champions, Couples continues to play well into his 60s and won his 14th senior title last year at the SAS Championship. Couples has long-time ties in the desert and is one of the golfers who has played the Dinah Shore Tournament Course many times through the years.

Steve Stricker

After serving as Ryder Cup captain in 2021 and then battling back from a mysterious illness at the start of 2022, Stricker won four PGA Tour Champions titles in 2022 and has added another win, his 12th overall on the tour, to start this season. Stricker might be the best player on the senior tour at the moment.

David Toms

Toms, a former PGA  Championship winner, has three wins since joining the PGA Tour Champions in 2017. But Toms comes to the Galleri Classic as a hot player, winning the Cologuard Classic in Arizona earlier this month. That makes Toms a player to watch at a new venue for the seniors.

Miguel Angel Jimenez

Jimenez might be best known for his quirky warmup routine, but he needs to be known for his 13 senior tour titles. The Spanish star has multiple wins in four of the last five seasons, including three wins in 2022. He's a threat any time he tees up.

Jerry Kelly

A three-time winner on the PGA Tour Champions, Kelly is a popular player with plenty of game. And the 56-year-old has made some history, too, recently becoming the oldest player to make the cut at The Players Championship on the regular tour. So Kelly is riding a bit of a hot streak coming to the desert.

Stephen Ames

Ames is a winner again on the PGA Tour Champions after taking the Trophy Hassan II title in Morocco earlier this year. That was his third career PGA Tour Champions title and his first since 2020. Ames also has a history in the desert, having won the Skins Game one year and with two top-10s in 12 starts at The American Express.

Ernie Els

One of the all-time greats from South Africa with four major titles in his time on the regular tour, Els has been a consistent player if not a consistent winner on the PGA Tour Champions. That is until he came back from five shots down Sunday to win the Hoag Classic in Newport Beach. His first two senior wins came in 2020, but he has been in the top 10 in 34 of his 62 starts on the 50-and-over tour. Eventually that will lead to more wins.

John Cook

Cook doesn’t play much on the PGA Tour Champions, spending more of his time working for Golf Channel. But the two-time winner of The American Express when it was called the Bob Hope Classic knows more about the Dinah Shore Tournament Course than any other golfer this week, having grown up at Mission Hills. How much will that local knowledge mean for Cook this week?

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Galleri Classic: Bernhard Langer, Steve Stricker, Fred Couples among 10 players to watch