Jiménez wins title play-off with Ping

Miguel Angel Jiménez won the Open de España at the twenty-seventh attempt to extend his own record as the oldest winner in European Tour history. Jiménez defeated 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 the final round at PGA Catalunya Resort. Jiménez uses Ping equipment including an i25 Driver 9.5° driver, i25 fairway woods and S55 irons.

He has now won 21 European Tour titles, 14 of them coming since he turned 40, and Sunday’s 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. He has since got married, and now become the first player to win twice in The Race to Dubai in 2014.

Jiménez said, “There’s no words to describe what it means to me, you need to be into my skin but I’m not going to let you! 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.”

Jiménez’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. “I would love to make The Ryder Cup team, I would break all the records at 50,” added Jiménez, whose last appearance was at The Celtic Manor Resort in 2010. I hope I can make the team and defend the European colours in Scotland.”