Jiménez continues on a roll and also triumphs at the Spanish Open

An Open de España of 10, round, spectacular and vibrant, with the best outcome ever dreamed of, the victory of a Spanish player, Miguel Ángel Jiménez, ‘el Pisha’, the implacable ‘Mechanic’, the player of the cigar -what he smokes after the feats and those he pockets on the greens-, the golfer who at 50 years of age exhausts the praising adjectives as a consequence of his continuous magic, his art, his golf.

And all this with a thrilling outcome, three players running amok in pursuit of a title that ended up in the hands of Miguel Angel Jimenez, supreme glory that reminded, at first, the historic playoff that led Raphael Jacquelin, twelve months ago, to lift the champion’s trophy.

On this occasion, however, despite the fact that the Open de España has tended to define itself beyond the last breath in the last two years, everything was resolved the first time, when the atmosphere was buzzing, with a tension that only the greatest and most experienced, such as Miguel Ángel Jiménez, are capable of negotiating.

The player from Malaga relieved in a big way a curricular deficit that he had been pursuing for a long time. Racial and patriotic to the core, Miguel Angel Jimenez was missing in his illustrious list of achievements the triumph in the Open de España, a notch in his belt of successes that he already wears with tremendous pride, motivation enough to take another new cigar out of his bag, light it with parsimony and toast metaphorically with the thousands of people who have supported him during all these days at the PGA Catalunya Resort.

In addition to the triumph, Miguel Ángel Jiménez received the affection of everyone, that particular way of understanding golf that transcends borders. His triumph, his long awaited and desired triumph, was also forged with pronounced touches of drama, doubts and unknowns sprinkled here and there in his last round, which made his last victory even greater.

With the young Thomas Pieters as a stellar match partner, the player from Malaga marked the territory early, with a birdie on the first hole, a clear demonstration that from the first moment he was going for it all. The Belgian, who was the leader on the 1st tee, lost that honorable condition due to three consecutive bogeys between holes 2 and 4, a moment taken advantage of by the famous MAJ to reach the highest vantage point, with the Australian Richard Green close to his neck, both tied at the halfway point of the round, a critical point for the golfer from Malaga.

Two bogeys on holes 9 and 10 were an important stop in Miguel Angel Jimenez’s dazzling run to the title, consecutive setbacks that gave wings to Richard Green, the beginning of a continuous give and take between the two, in which Thomas Pieters also took part, persistent in his refusal to stay out of the fight for the title.

With tension at the surface, two holes proved to be key in the outcome of a frantic and exciting historical event. On the 14th, Richard Green, first in the rough before committing triple bogey, fought hard to regain lost ground and join a seemingly exclusive head to head battle between experience and youth, between Miguel Angel Jimenez and Thomas Pieters, between established golf and golf still to be built.

The Belgian, all chutzpah, presented Jiménez with his greatest challenge, an eagle on the 15th hole that reproduced a new tie between the two at the top of the leaderboard. From then on, drama, exacerbated tension, agony, hundreds of bitten nails on the perimeter of the fairways and greens by thousands of fans eager for the triumph of Miguel Angel Jimenez, who stumbled like Thomas Pieters on the 17th hole, an opportunity given on a platter to Richard Green, who joined a tachycardic playoff.

And it was there, at the peak moment, when Miguel Angel Jimenez, patient and serene, luxury spectator of trembling putting strokes by his rivals, smoked a new cigar, his 21st victory in the European Tour, his number 1 victory in the Spanish Open, number 1 for a number 1 player.

Miguel Ángel Jiménez, thrilled with his 21st victory

Miguel Angel Jimenez was “very excited” after achieving his twenty-first victory in the European Tour and the first in the Spanish Open. “With 50 years in my bones, I finally have it here with me, I dedicate it to Iain McGregor, who passed away last week in Madeira,” declared the Andalusian euphoric with the cup in his hands.

Cañizares’ fourth Top 10 of the year

Alejandro Cañizares was the second best of the Spaniards. The Spaniard finished in the seventh position thanks to a card of 70 strokes (-2) for -1 to the total.

FINAL RANKING

1.- Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain) 284 (69+73+69+69+73) (playoff)

2.- Richard Green (Australia) 284 (74+69+69+72)

+.- Thomas Pieters (Belgium) 284 (69+69+71+75)

4.- Joost Luiten (Holland) 285

5.- Maximilian Kieffer (Germany) 286

+Richie Ramsay (Scotland) 286

7.- Alejandro Cañizares (Spain) 287

12.- Álvaro Velasco (Spain) 288

Ignacio Elvira (Spain) 291.

38.- Sergio García (Spain) 292

+Agustín Domingo (Spain) 292