Mark Roe says Bernhard Langer has the class and fitness to become the European Tour's oldest winner.
Why can't someone over 50 win on Tour?
We're off to Germany this week, but Germany's brightest talent of the moment will not be there.
Martin Kaymer broke three toes in a go-karting accident a few weeks ago, which is unbelievably stupid. Obviously golfers have got to have a life and enjoy themselves away from the sport, but you have to be aware of the consequences.
There is talk of him missing the Race to Dubai, which is terrible for him. Not only will he miss a big chunk of the Ryder Cup qualification period, but he will lose a lot from a financial perspective.
He has been doing tremendously well this year, he was phenomenal in July with his wins in France and Scotland, and he was the red-hot favourite to win the Race to Dubai. Not many people would have bet against him winning it.
So he'll be sick as a pig sitting at home watching the German Masters on the television, but in his absence the home crowd will have all eyes on Bernhard Langer.
It's the return of a legend. Any time Langer plays in Germany it is a huge attraction because he is somebody who has done everything in his career. He dominated the European Tour for many years and won The Masters twice - and now he has established a similar dominance on the Champions Tour.
That is no surprise. He was always going to do well in seniors' golf because he maintained an incredible level of fitness throughout his career. It's a bit of a cliché, but Bernhard truly is the ultimate professional. I don't think you'd see him climbing into too many go-karts!
Contender
Can he be a contender on the main Tour? Given a fair wind and a good day on the greens, there is no doubt that Langer can still be competitive against the best in the world.
Bernhard has the potential to win the Mercedes Benz Championship this week and become the oldest ever winner on the main Tour. If a 59-year-old could come within inches of winning The Open Championship then there's no reason why 52-year-old Bernhard can't win here.
These guys may be over 50, but they can still play golf to an incredibly high level. Kenny Perry is 50 next year, but he is still very competitive in America and I don't think the very best players lose too much when they pass that landmark age.
The only question is whether you have a desire to keep playing every week - and also whether you are physically fit enough to do so. If you are injured for a period of time, that's when you start to lose your game, but if you can stay healthy there's no reason why you can't remain competitive.
If the passing of time is kind then you can carry on at the top level - and Bernhard has always looked after himself very well.
Forward
On a personal level, I'll also be looking forward to watching some of my own clients in Germany this week.
Ross Fisher is back in action after a few weeks off and Soren Hansen will be looking to win here again.
I was pleased to see Paul McGinley looking good last week, particularly in his first two rounds, and he is positive about where his game is going. I'd love to see him back in the winner's circle and picking up some Ryder Cup points.
Nick Dougherty returns after a couple of weeks off and he's in a good place mentally. After winning the BMW International Open earlier this year, he clearly has a fondness for German courses.
So I'm full of anticipation to see some of my guys, but I also can't wait to see how the Ryder Cup points are allocated this week.
Who is going to step up to the plate and start winning? Colin Montgomerie is looking for winners. I don't think we'll see another Oliver Wilson situation where someone qualifies having never won a main Tour event; we are going to be sending a team of winners to Celtic Manor.
And remember this, if you get in the top 60 then you make it to Dubai and if you win the Dubai World Championship then you'll pocket $1.6million towards your Ryder Cup total.
That would virtually put you in the team, so it's time to start lifting trophies.
