Galleri Classic: Is this Bernhard Langer's final desert tourney and can Retief Goosen repeat?
The PGA Tour Champions returns to the Coachella Valley this week for the third Galleri Classic, the tournament that brought the seniors back to the desert for the first time in 30 years.
The tournament, which supports six cancer-related charities in the desert, brings with it numerous major championship winners and World Golf Hall of Famers among its 78-player field at the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage.
Among the storylines at the tournament this year will be the return of an all-time winner and the search for the first two-time champion in the Galleri Classic's short history.
Here are five storylines to watch for this week:
Retief's defense
Retief Goosen won the 2024 Galleri Classic in a final-hole nail-biter against Steven Alker, when both players found the water in front of the par-5 18th hole. It was Goosen's first win on the senior tour since the 2022 Hoag Classic in Newport Beach. Known as one of the best putters in the world in his time on the PGA Tour, leading to two U.S. Open victories, Goosen should feel right at home on the subtly tricky greens of the Dinah Shore Tournament Course. The Galleri Classic was his only win in 2024, but he did have five other top-10 finishes including the last two events of the year. He has already shown he likes tournaments on the West Coast and should be a contender this week.
Alker's revenge?
The best player in the Galleri Classic its first two years has been Steven Alker. Alker finished second by four shots in the 2023 event to David Toms, and then finished second by one shot to Goosen last year. Clearly, something about Alker's game fits the Dinah Shore Tournament Course. Alker won only one tournament in 2024, when he still claimed the Charles Schwab Cup year-long title, but he has already won in 2024. He'll be eager to win a second title this year and finally reach the top of the leaderboard at the Galleri Classic.
Langer's return
Bernhard Langer, the all-time leader in wins on the PGA Tour Champions with 47, missed the 2024 Galleri Classic when he torn his Achilles tendon in February of last year. The injury also cost him what he said would be his final start in the Masters, but Langer was back on the tour by May and won the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship. Langer now says he will play in the Masters one last time this year. At 67, there is no way to know just how much more golf Langer wants to play competitively, so it's a good idea to go see him when you still can.
Injuries flare up
Late withdrawals from tournaments and playing with aches and pains on the golf course are just part of the PGA Tour Champions life. Fred Couples is in the Galleri Classic field this week, as he was last year before withdrawing with back issues. Steve Stricker has also been fighting a disc problem in his back and has just one start on the tour this year, with Stricker withdrawing from this week's Galleri Classic over the weekend, even though he is an ambassador for Grail, the title sponsor of the event. Just like the rest of us, players on the PGA Tour Champions have to deal with getting older, even if Stricker believes golfers can play longer and win deeper into their careers with a dedication to health, something that might not have been true 20 or 30 years ago.
The golf course
Just like when it hosted an LPGA major for 51 years, the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club will be one of the stars of the Galleri Classic this week. PGA Tour Champions players have embraced the golf course in a short time, relishing the idea that the course tests every part of a golfer's game, from driving to iron play to the short game. Drive the ball straight on this course and you can score, particularly on the four par-5s. It's a bit of an old-school golf course that seems to fit perfectly for the senior players.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Galleri Classic: Bernhard Langer, Retief Goosen among storylines
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