Miguel Ángel Jiménez was well on target for his fourth Champions Tour victory when he arrived on the 18th tee in the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic at Fallen Creek. Then he suffered an unexpected setback. "I played very well and come in with a two-shot lead on the 18th and made a double-bogey. But I'm human, you know."
That late stumble enabled Gene Sauers to draw level and force a play-off, but fortunately for the Spaniard he was able to recover quickly in sudden-death. Both players were in good shape off the tee but, while Jimenez's approach came to rest six metres from the hole, Sauers found a bunker and failed to match his rival’s successful birdie putt.
Jiménez had won the same tournament in 2016, having previously secured two other Champions Tour victories: the 2014 Greater Gwinnett Championship and 2015 Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai. In 25 starts on the US seniors circuit, Jimenez now has 11 top-three finishes as well as his four titles.
"I feel very nice. I feel I'm playing very well," Jimenez said. "When I make birdies I feel like I can win the tournament. Then just keep playing well, make a couple more birdies. I'm happy to defend the way I defended, yeah. Yeah, I had some emotions out there, no?"
(Photo: Dustin Massey Chipshots)
