Bernhard Langer looks like the favorite in Boeing Classic at Snoqualmie Ridge

SNOQUALMIE — Bernhard Langer almost missed the Boeing Classic for the second straight year.

He had to fly home before the event last year because his wife had a medical issue. This time around his oldest son, Stefan, was beginning college in Tampa, Fla.

"Going to college, that's a big thing, but I told him I'd visit him next week," said Langer, who turned 52 on Thursday. "I am excited it worked out. It's beautiful here. It's a good course and the conditions are good. I'm excited about the week."

If you are looking for a favorite in the field of 78, Langer is the right place to start. The tournament kicks off today, with the first tee times at 11:30 a.m. Five minutes before, a Boeing 777 will fly over the course.

Langer's four wins this season are two more than the next best (Loren Roberts and Keith Fergus), and he was the Champions Tour Player of the Year last season in his first full year on the Tour.

"He hits it long, he hits it straight and he putts well," said Jeff Sluman, who won twice last year during his rookie season on the Champions Tour. "That's a pretty nice combination. Bernhard is not going to beat himself. He's won more than 60 times worldwide for a reason. Nothing he does should surprise anyone."

Langer, the greatest German player in history, was a dominant force in Europe for more than a couple of decades. He gained worldwide prominence with Masters victories in 1985 and 1993.

Langer was performing well on the PGA Tour in early 2007 while awaiting his 50th birthday (and becoming eligible for the Champions Tour) that summer. He had four top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour that season, including losing in a playoff two months before his birthday.

"At first, I thought it might be bittersweet in a sense," Langer said of making the switch. "Then once I was out here three or four weeks, I didn't miss the [PGA Tour] at all. I really enjoy this."

In addition to leading the Champions Tour in victories, he also leads in earnings (more than $1.65 million), scoring average (69.04) and top-10 finishes (10).

"Some of the goals would be to win the money list, win the Schwab Cup, win tournaments and become Player of the Year," he said.

Langer is third behind Fred Funk and Loren Roberts in the season standings. There have been 13 different winners in the 18 Tour events this season.

Langer expected tough competition when he moved to the Champions Tour.

"I knew how well they played, because it's the guys I've played against all my life," he said. "Mark O'Meara, [Tom] Watson, Fred Funk, Nick Price and on and on and on. I wasn't too surprised, but the level of play is very good here. It's a very aggressive style of play because many tournaments are only three days and they go at it from the very first shot to the last shot. That's why the scores are so low."

Langer, who is known for being slow, methodical and extremely accurate on the course, is among the longest drivers on the Tour. He is fit and doesn't look 52.

"You lose strength and you lose flexibility as you get older," he said. "You can't maintain that, no matter who you are. Even [fitness freak] Gary Player doesn't hit it as far as he used to. It doesn't matter how fit you are. You can try to slow the process down, but won't totally be able to rectify it.

"On the other hand, you've played the game longer, so you probably have a better swing than you did years ago because you've had more chance to practice it. You also understand more about the game, so it's a fine balance."

Langer is managing just fine. He plans to continue to play as long as he is healthy, is having fun and having some success.

"If one of those things is missing, it's time to go home and pack it up," he said.

Note

• Paired with Gary Hallberg on Wednesday and Mike Hulbert on Thursday, the team from Comcast/Golf Channel won the Seahawks Pro-Am with a score of 110 (55-55). Tour pro Allen Doyle had a hole-in-one Thursday morning on the 198-yard sixth hole. It was his 19th career hole-in-one.