By LUKE MEREDITH AP Sports Writer <\/p>\n
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The golfers playing this weekend's Principal Charity Classic caught a bit of a break. <\/p>\n
Senior PGA Championship winner Roger Chapman and points leader Michael Allen didn't make the trip to Iowa. <\/p>\n
Chapman, the Englishman who stunned the field with a two-stroke win at Harbor Shores in Michigan last weekend, will play in Spain this week following his first career Champions Tour win. Allen, the only Champions player with a pair of wins in 2012, is playing in a U.S. Open qualifier in California. <\/p>\n
Chapman and Allen are about only big names not in the field for this weekend's tournament at Glen Oaks Country Club, which is sandwiched between a pair of majors as the circuit heads to Birmingham next week. <\/p>\n
\"It's all about winning and giving yourself those opportunities, and certainly the non-major weeks, you have to play well,\" said John Cook, who is 134 points behind Allen and in second place. \"This would be a good week to catch up with (Allen) a little bit.\" <\/p>\n
Perhaps the two most intriguing players in the field are the ones directly below Chapman; Bernhard Langer and Kenny Perry. <\/p>\n
Langer was the leading money winner on the Champions Tour from 2008-10 but struggled through an injury-plagued 2011. He has six top-10 finishes in eight starts and a pair of second-place finishes this year. He finished 11th in his only start at Glen Oaks two years ago. <\/p>\n
Perry rallied with a 9-under 62 in his final round last week, matching the lowest round ever in a senior major. Perry has three top-10 finishes in seven starts and won at TwinEagles in Naples, Fla., in February. <\/p>\n
\"I like how I'm hitting the golf ball right now. I'm still struggling with my putting, that's nothing new. That's been the history of my career,\" Perry said. \"This week will all boil down to how I putt.\" <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The rest is here: <\/p>\n
Champions Tour heads to Iowa minus Allen, Chapman<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By LUKE MEREDITH AP Sports Writer WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The golfers playing this weekend's Principal Charity Classic caught a bit of a break. Continue reading