Miquel Angel Jimenez finally claims Spanish Open glory

Miguel Angel Jimenez finally won the Spanish Open at the 27th attempt to extend his own record as the oldest winner in European Tour history yesterday.

Jimenez let slip an early two-shot lead before defeating Richard Green and Thomas Pieters on the first hole of a sudden-death play-off after the trio had finished tied on four under par following an attritional final round at PGA Catalunya.

The players returned to the 18th for the play-off 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 overnight leader Pieters, whose approach had come up short, saw his par putt catch the lip of the hole and stay out.

Remarkable season
Jimenez has now won 21 European Tour titles, 14 of them coming since he turned 40, and yesterday's hard-fought victory 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.

“There’s no words to describe what it means to me,” said Jimenez. “It’s amazing. It’s my 21st victory on the European Tour and 27 times I played the Spanish Open. I have been close a couple of times. Today it was very tough out there but I got it in the end.

“All the victories are special, all are unique, some of them give you more money, some less, but all of them are important. You play to win and when you make it you have to appreciate it. I don’t know if I felt nerves, but you do feel tension, you feel the pressure. . . ”

Asked for the secret of his longevity, Jimenez added: “There is no secret. Good food, good wine, good cigars and some exercise!”

Jimenez's win leaves him just outside the automatic Ryder Cup qualifying places and boosts his ambition of becoming Europe's oldest ever player at Gleneagles in September; Ted Ray was 50 years, two months and five days old at the inaugural contest in 1927.

Pieters had held a two-shot lead going into the final round but the 22-year-old suffered a nightmare start with three bogeys in succession from the second, allowing Jimenez to move two clear of the field with three birdies and one bogey in the first six holes.

However, Jimenez then dropped shots on the ninth and 10th and had to chip in on the 11th to avoid an unwanted hat-trick, which left Green in the lead thanks to an outward nine of 34.

The trees
Green's chances looked to have gone when he ran up a triple-bogey seven on the 14th, hitting his second shot into the trees and after taking a penalty drop, compounding his error by three-putting from 30 feet.

However he birdied the 15th and although Pieters made an eagle from four feet on the same hole, he and Jimenez both bogeyed the 17th to give Green another chance.

Gareth Maybin was best of the Irish with a closing 71 for one-under 287, a share of seventh place (€34,740). Shane Lowry (71) and Paul McGinley (73) were two shots further back on 289. David Higgins (73) was four over for the tournament while Kevin Phelan (78) finished eight over and Simon Thornton (74) ten over.