Miguel Angel Jimenez Wins Open De Espana on European Tour

By Fred Altvater on Sunday, May 18th 2014
Miguel Angel Jimenez Wins Open De Espana on European Tour

The “Most Interesting Man in Golf” won the Open De Espana and became the first multiple winner on the European Tour this season.

Jimenez, 50 years and 133 days old, won the Hong Kong Open in December and broke the record he set there as the oldest champion on the European Tour. He will move inside the top 25 in the Official World Golf Rankings, but more importantly, for him, moves into contention for the 2014 Ryder Cup Team and his €921,600 places him at No. 5 in the Race to Dubai.

He has already been named as an assistant captain for the European Team, but his primary goal for the year was to make Paul McGinley's Ryder Cup team as a player.

Jimenez likes red wine, big cigars and fast cars. Perhaps 50 is the new 25?

After a fourth-place finish at the Masters, Jimenez dropped in on the Greater Gwinnett Championship on the Champions Tour and beat the field to collect the win. As well as Jimenez is playing right now it doesn’t appear the Champions Tour needs to make room for him in the near future.

This is his 21st European Tour victory and becomes one of only six players to win over €22 million on that tour.

Jimenez began the final round at the Open De Espana one shot behind 54-hole leader Thomas Pieters. Pieters posted a three-over par 75 on Sunday to finish at four-under par, tied with Jimenez and Richard Green, who shot an even-par 72.

While both Pieters and Green made bogey at the first playoff hole, Jimenez made his par and collected the €250,000 first-place check.

Joost Luiten, who won two events in 2013 on the European Tour, finished just one shot out of the playoff at three-under par.

The European Tour next moves to Wentworth Golf Club in London for the BMW PGA Championship. It offers a total purse of €4.75 million and is one of the flagship events on that tour.

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