Jimenez breaks new ground at Spanish Open

Veteran continues to roll back the years as he wins Spanish Open for the first time

Miguel Angel Jimenez extended his own record as the oldest winner in European Tour history on Sunday with victory in a three-man play-off at the Spanish Open.

Jimenez, Richard Green and Thomas Pieters had finished tied on four under par after an attritional final round at PGA Catalunya which saw Jimenez let slip a two-shot lead and Green then triple bogey the 14th when one shot clear.

The players returned to the 18th for the first hole of sudden death and all three failed to find the fairway or green in regulation, but Jimenez almost holed his chip from the back of the green for a birdie and a par proved good enough.

Green failed to get up and down from over the green and Pieters, whose approach had come up short, saw his par putt catch the lip of the hole and stay out.

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Jimenez has now won 21 times on the European Tour, 14 of the victories coming since he turned 40, and claiming his national open for the first time continues a remarkable season.

The 50-year-old was in contention to become the oldest major champion in history before finishing fourth in the Masters last month, and seven days later won on his Champions Tour debut.