Spanish golf “matador”, 52 today!

Miguel Angel Jiménez celebrates his 52nd birthday today (5 January). Once described as “the most interesting man in the world” by the American press a few years ago, the tag has stuck to become yet another trademark of the flambuoyant Spanish golfer from Malaga. Just like the Havana cigars, fine wine, his pony-tail, and, more recently, his playful celebratory action of sliding the club back into its imaginary sheath like a matador’s sword as he produces yet another career ace.  Is it ten or eleven holes-in-one now on the European Tour?  We’re losing count.  We do know for sure though that he now holds the outright record which was previously held by Scotsman Colin Montgomerie.

 

Bouncing back after his ski accident

 

Jiménez enjoys his golf. He also enjoys life and appears to be enjoying his senior status on the European Tour too.  In October 2012, he won the Hong Kong Open to become the oldest player to win on the European Tour.  Then in December,  the colourful character broke his shin bone in a ski accident and was out of action for the first few months of the 2013 season.  Within no time at all, he was fighting fit again and breaking more records.  He even led The Open after the second round that year, finishing in a share of 11th place.  Two months after finishing 4th in the US Masters  of 2014, he beat his own oldest-player-to-win-on-the-European Tour record when he won his first Spanish Open at the age of 50 years and 133 days.  It was his 27th attempt to win his National Open.

 

 

 

 

Jiménez playing in the KLM Open at the Kennemer last September.  In 2013, he lost in a play-off at the Dutch Open to Joost Luiten.

 

 

As many of his old rivals head full-time for the European Senior Tour, Jiménez still manages to show the younger players a trick or two on the main Tour. Just like a good bottle of wine, Jiménez, who started playing golf at the age of 15, while working at a range gathering balls and caddying, appears to be improving with age.  Not only is his good scoring to be admired, but also the suppleness which he displays on the practice ground when warming-up and stretching with his infamous sticks, is the envy of many a younger player on Tour as well as a real crowd pleaser.

 

He turned pro in 1982 and earned his first cheque on the main Tour six years later. With now 21 victories to his name on the European Tour, his ET career earnings to date total more than 23 million euros.

 

Spanish Ryder Cup flair

 

A European Ryder Cup team would not be a European Ryder Cup team without the passion and creativity of a Spaniard in the 12-man line up. Players such as Seve Ballesteros, José Maria Olazábal and Sergio Garcia.  Adding his own particular brand of Spanish flair, Miguel Angel Jiménez has made four Ryder Cup appearances so far, the latest being with the victorious 2010 team at Celtic Manor in Wales.  A phenomenal year in which he also won three tournaments.

 

Nicknamed “The Mechanic” by the players due to his passion for driving fast cars, Jiménez lives in Vienna with his Austrian wife, Susanna. They were married in 2014. He is one of seven brothers and has two sons: Miguel Angel and Victor.

 

Happy Birthday, Miguel Angel! Felicidades!

 

Wendy Hoad

 

 

Photography by Golfing Inspirations.