Pulheim, Germany - German golfer Bernhard Langer is hoping to get a wild card entry for next year's Ryder Cup - eight years after last playing in the competition. The next edition of the biennial Ryder Cup, which sees the best American golfers compete against their European counterparts, is held 2010 in Wales.
Each captain has three wild card entries through which he can invite players to participate.
Langer, who has won eight tournaments and more than four million dollars since joining the Seniors Tour in 2007, is hoping that he could get one.
"I speak to the European captain Colin Montgomerie from time to time and I think I am in excellent form. However, it obviously depends totally on the captain if I receive a wild card," the 52-year-old said.
Montgomerie said recently that he would not dismiss the idea of picking Langer for his team.
"Bernard is not out of the list of candidates. He is playing very well and has unbelievable experience," he said.
Together with Britain's Nick Faldo, Montgomerie and Langer, who has competed in 10 Ryder Cup competitions, are the players who have won the most points in the competition.
In 2004, Langer captained the European team to a record 18.5-9.5 victory in Oaklands Hills in the US.
Langer, who would become the oldest player to play in the competition if he is picked, said that he has also overcome his back problems.
"The problems have moved to different zones of pain. My swing and technique are becoming better and better and it is quite possible to win tournaments on the European Tour as a 50-year-old or older," he said.
Langer is currently attempting to win the Mercedes-Benz Championship, which starts Thursday on the Laerchenhof Golf Club in Pulheim, for the fifth time since 2001.
