Just like his favourite Rioja, Miguel Angel Jiménez just keeps improving with age. The Spaniard's third UBS Hong Kong Open victory, which made him, at the age of 48, the oldest player in history to win a European Tour title, was quite simply the best of the lot.
An eminently likeable character, Jiménez is the complete antithesis of today's modern pro. In an era of flat bellies and distant personalities, he is known throughout the golfing world for his love of wine and cigars, his distaste for the gym and a downright comical warm-up and stretching routine. There can be few in the game that are as comfortable in their own skin as Jiménez, but one gets the feeling that with his greying red pony-tail and little pot belly, he probably doesn't get the credit as a player – as a competitor – that he deserves. But as those who followed him over those final 18 holes at Fanling will attest, the man has an almost unmatched desire to win. Yes, he will wave to the galleries, share a joke with his playing partner and smile into whichever TV camera happens to be pointing in his direction, but when he's in the hunt for a win, he can be as ruthless as they come.
It was a testament to the quality of Jiménez's play that he only recorded two bogeys in four days – both of which came in his first round. In actual fact, the now 19-time European Tour winner didn't enjoy the best of putting weeks, which just goes to show how good his long game was. Finding fairway after fairway and firing at the pins with laser-like accuracy, the truth is he could have raced away from the field had his putter been working on all cylinders.
"It's very nice – I hope it's not the last one [tournament win]," grinned Jiménez, who revealed he had been enjoying a post-round drink with his old friend HKGA Chief Executive Iain Valentine on the Fanling terrace after each round, which he clearly believed had been doing him the power of good.
Asked about the secret of his longevity Jiménez, responded: “This is maybe the olive oil in my joints, and the nice Rioja wine and those things keep you fit and flexible.
"But I really love this place. I love the golf course – it’s a great golf course where you have to control the ball very well, it’s not a matter of distance.”
An example of Jiménez's sublime control was his second shot in the final round to the long and brutal par-4 ninth. The hole has proved to be a card-wrecker over the years but the man from Malaga played it superbly. Finding himself well over 200 yards from the flag, Jiménez cut a beautiful little 5-wood into the breeze which finished within tap-in distance for his third consecutive birdie. Although there were still another nine holes to play, the timing of the play was crucial, giving the Spaniard what proved to be an unassailable three-stroke lead.
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