For the third time in his career on Sunday, Miguel Angel Jimenez became the oldest winner in the history of the European Tour.
After posting a pair of wins in the Hong Kong Open to twice become the tour's most elderly champion, the Mechanic won his national open, the Open de Espana, on the first hole of a three-man playoff against Aussie Richard Green and Belgian Thomas Pieters.
Tied at 4 under par after 72 holes, all three men returned to the 18th hole at PGA Catalunya Resort. Jimenez, who missed the green in two, chipped to tap-in range for par, leaving Green and Pieters to make testy par putts. Both missed, clearing the way for Jimenez to win.
Jimenez becomes the first person to win multiple times on the European Tour this season, making this his second playoff win of the year in a follow-on to his Hong Kong Open win. He is practically a mortal lock to make the European Ryder Cup team in September in Scotland. He'll become the oldest European Ryder Cup player.
The win is the latest turn of good fortune in an incredible month for the 50-year-old Spaniard. Jimenez finished T-4 at the Masters last month, then won in his Champions Tour debut just outside of Atlanta and then got married. That's enough for Jimenez to fire up a lifetime supply of trademark cigars and a wine cellar full of rioja.
And that's precisely what Jimenez said were his secrets when asked the key to the fountain of youth he seems to perpetually find.
"Good food, good wine, good cigars," Jimenez said.
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