Miguel Angel Jimenez avenged one of the most disappointing finishes of his career on Sunday by capping a late rally with a sudden-death victory over Steven Alker in the $3.5 million Kaulig Companies Championship.

Jimenez, the cigar-chomping Spaniard, birdied the final two holes at Firestone Country Club’s rugged South Course to force overtime, and then birdied the 18th hole again from 15 feet on the second extra hole to win his fourth event this year and third career major title on the PGA Tour Champions.

“It’s very special. I played very well this year, but coming in this third major of the year, I’ve been playing very well,” Jimenez said. “This week I win here and put my name on the side of all great names through the history of the golf tournament here on this beautiful golf course, probably one of the better golf courses we’ll play all year. No words to explain, fantastic.”

In the 2016 U.S. Senior Open, Jimenez bogeyed the final two holes at Scioto Country Club in Columbus to lose by a stroke to Gene Sauers. The Buckeye state owed him one.

“Yeah, I finish bogey-bogey, lose by one,” he recalled. “We are all human, you know? This time is much better.”

Cue the victory cigar

Jiménez drained his birdie putt on the 2nd playoff hole to win @KauligChamp pic.twitter.com/veSZN9sZM7

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) June 22, 2025

Jimenez, 61, is in the midst of a resurgence after going winless the last two years. His four wins is a career-high in senior golf in one season and the most by a player in his 60s in a season. Jimenez straightened up and flashed a broad smile when he was informed of a record not even all-time victory leader Bernhard Langer had reached. He then pointed out that he has four wins “and I still counting.”

About his turnaround this year he said, “I doing nothing different.” Then Jimenez thought a moment and shrugged. “Maybe I still holing more putts than the previous year, that also helps,” he continued. “I feel more confidence on the greens. Even sometimes not making enough putts, we all think we don’t make enough. I start getting a little better. Just enjoying myself on the golf course. I play the game, working hard.”

He earned $525,000 and a berth in next year’s Players Championship (the Kaulig is essentially the Senior Players)—though in the aftermath, Jimenez seemed to baulk at the idea of going to TPC Sawgrass. “That is a different league,” he said.

While Jimenez collected his 17th career title on the PGA Tour Champions, Alker was relegated to his 17th runner-up finish and second this year—both times behind Jimenez. The New Zealander has nine top-five finishes this year in 11 events, including a playoff win over Jason Caron at the Cologuard Classic.

“Yeah, I had a chance to win the golf tournament. It was some sloppy golf in the middle,” said Alker, 53, who was denied his 10th senior win. “Miguel, the way he finished, he just did Miguel things again, you know what I mean? So kudos to him. … He made the plays.”

https://twitter.com/ChampionsTour/status/1936941511620411849

Alker and Jimenez shared the 54-hole lead and essentially engaged in a two-man battle in which they stretched their lead to four shots at one point.

Jimenez birdied his first two holes for an early lead but then failed to notch another until he guided home a six-footer on the 17th hole to climb within one of Alker, who had reached 10 under par. On 18, Alker missed a chance to put it away when his 18-foot birdie try on the long par-4 finishing hole, ranked the toughest on Sunday, missed low and left. Then Jimenez converted from 12 feet to tie Alker. Each closed with two-under 68 for a 270 total.

The two men halved the first playoff hole, also at 18, with pars, with Alker getting up and down from the front of the green. On the second, Alker hit a low-running approach from the right rough that scampered onto the green 20 feet from the cup. He ran his birdie putt three feet by before Jimenez ended it with his third birdie in four holes.

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Main Image: David Berding

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Some of golf’s most renowned names are set to tee it up on the Old Course when Europe’s only Senior Major returns to the famed Berkshire venue. Sunningdale will host the ISPS HANDA Senior Open for the fourth time in its history, following on from 2009, 2015 and 2021.

The trio join defending champion K.J. Choi, record 12-time Senior Major Champion Bernhard Langer, Major Champions Pádraig Harrington and Ernie Els and European legends Colin Montgomerie and Thomas Bjørn in what promises to be a star-studded field.

Darren Clarke understandably was smiling after becoming just the fourth golfer to win the Open and Senior Open as he wins the Senior Open at Gleneagles. Mark Runnacles

In 2022, Clarke became the fourth player to win both The Open and The Senior Open when he triumphed at Gleneagles, finishing one stroke ahead of Pádraig Harrington. Clarke won The Claret Jug at Royal St George’s in 2011, becoming the first Northern Irish winner of The Open in more than 60 years.

The 56-year-old finished third the last time the Senior Open was held at Sunningdale, just two strokes behind eventual winner Stephen Dodd.

“I’m very proud to have won both The Open and The Senior Open and I’m very much looking forward to going back to Sunningdale this Summer,” said Clarke. “It’s fantastic that the Senior Open gives us the opportunity to play on a number of the best courses in the country and the Old Course at Sunningdale is certainly a worthy test.”

Miguel Angel Jimenéz lifted the trophy in 2018.

Jiménez claimed The Senior Open trophy in style in 2018 as he triumphed on the Old Course at St Andrews. It was his second Senior Major Championship and earlier this month he won his 16th title on PGA TOUR Champions at the Principal Charity Classic. He was runner-up to Dodd four years ago at Sunningdale.

“The Senior Open is a very special event to me and I’m so proud to call myself a winner of the Championship,” said Jiménez. “I’ve been wanting to go back to Sunningdale since my runner-up finish there a few years ago and I’m hopeful I can go one better in a few weeks’ time.”

José María Olazábal captured the Masters on two occasions.

Olázabal, who won the Masters Tournament in 1994 and 1999, will be making his eighth appearance at The Senior Open. The Spaniard formed a formidable Ryder Cup partnership with the legendary Seve Ballesteros as they returned 12 points from 15 matches together across four editions. He went on to captain Europe in 2012 as he masterminded the Miracle at Medinah, seeing his side overturn a four-point deficit on the final day to win 14½ – 13½.

“I’m excited to return to Sunningdale next month,” said Olazábal. “The Senior Open is a great event and one which we all look forward to playing in.”

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Playing in the final group together, Miguel Angel Jiménez edged Kiwi Steven Alker for a two-stroke victory on the PGA Champions Tour.

Miguel Angel Jiménez – Getty Images / Octavio Passos

Standing on the tee at the par-4 17th hole, the pair were tied at 9-under par when Jiménez drove the green and converted for eagle. Alker made par, which proved to be the deciding margin.

His first win since 2022

Miguel is back in the winner’s circle! pic.twitter.com/PTvtmLjwkR

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) February 8, 2025

The win marks the first for Jiménez since 2022 (Boeing Classic) and lifts his total to 14 career wins on PGA TOUR Champions, matching Fred Couples for the 18th most in Champions Tour history.

Jiménez’s 14 wins are tied for the fourth-most among active PGA TOUR Champions players.

Main Image: Tracy Wilcox

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Rocco and Miguel are two of the absolute best pro golfers. They’re fan favourites for a reason. Having spent time around both of them, they’re both all about living life to the fullest—and that attitude is infectious. After watching the below video, you will certainly agree.

The PGA Tour Champions got Rocco and Miguel together to talk about cigars, and gosh it’s gold. In a What’s In My Bag interview back in the day, Miguel said before every trip, he loads up on Cohiba cigars: “You never know if they’ll have them where I’m going.” And Rocco, as you know by his social-media videos, is always smoking a stogie.

Enjoy the video below, preferably with your own stogie in hand:

These two

Rocco and Miguel discuss how many cigars they go through weekly.@SanfordIntl pic.twitter.com/Q1hmLMPKsU

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) September 11, 2024

So to have these two legends trading lines about their favourite cigars is incredible and an absolute must-watch.

That’s the good stuff right there. This video could’ve been an hour long, and I’d still rewatch it. If you’re someone who enjoys cigars, this is right up your alley. Even if you don’t, listening to these two legends get downright giddy about something they love is also very cool.

Whatever Opus X is, the next time I’m looking for a cigar, I’m damn sure buying that one … as long as it’s in cheap section. (Even though I’m sure it won’t be knowing these guys and their finer tastes…)

I know that Rocco has his own radio show with SiriusXM, so I think it’s time to book a regular segment with The Mechanic himself. OK, OK … we’re talking about radio, an outdated medium, and two 60-plus-year-olds … which is sort of the opposite of where golf is going. You can keep your YouTube influencers. Give us Rocco and Miguel talking about the finer things in life, and we’ll be happy.

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The three legends of European golf have been honoured for their services to both the DP World Tour and the Ryder Cup throughout their respective glittering careers.

Guy Kinnings, Chief Executive of the DP World Tour, presented the trio with their Honorary Life Membership cards after the European Tour Group Board of Directors approved the recommendation to honour the trio.

They become the 60th, 61st and 62nd DP World Tour members to be bestowed the honour, following the Tour’s founding father John Jacobs who became the first recipient in 1978.

Kinnings said: “Honorary Life Membership is recognition for those who have contributed so much to the Tour both inside and outside the ropes. These three players have given everything to the Tour and have shaped the Tour with both their play and their personalities.

“They have given so much whether that be through service on Committees, or as Board members, or indeed through their service to the Ryder Cup as players, Vice Captains and Captains. It is all of this together which makes everyone recognise these three individuals as such huge figures on our Tour.

“For us to be able to honour them together is also very special. I am delighted for them.”

Captain Thomas Bjorn of Europe holds the Ryder Cup with his European team after a lopsided win at Le Golf National in 2018. Christian Petersen

Bjørn is Denmark’s most successful golfer of all time with 15 DP World Tour wins across a pioneering 30-year career that has helped to inspire the current crop of talented Danes playing on the Tour. He has also enjoyed an incredible Ryder Cup career, making three victorious appearances as a player – in 1997, 2002 and 2014 – and was Captain for Europe’s memorable 17 ½ – 10 ½ triumph over the United States at Le Golf National, France, in 2018.

The 53-year-old will also be a Vice Captain again at Bethpage next year – the sixth time in total he has performed that role for Team Europe – and he has also made a huge contribution to European golf off the course, as Chairman of the European Tour’s Tournament Committee from 2007 to 2016, and latterly on the Board of Directors since April 2020.

Bjørn said: “I think it shows dedication to the Tour for a long time. I served as Chairman of the Tournament Committee for ten years, which is the heart and soul of the Tour in many ways. I’ve been a member for almost 30 years, so it’s a great honour and I think it shows great respect that you’ve served the Tour and that you’ve done the right things.

“I think all three of us have been such big parts of the Tour as players, but also we served in a lot of ways. Both Paul and Miguel have served on the Tournament Committee and Paul served as Ryder Cup Captain and probably had a huge impact on the way we do the Ryder Cup.

“For all of us, we’ve contributed in different ways. It’s a great honour but it’s also something where you sit back and wonder where all that time went. It’s been great fun and now all three of us are looking at other places to play our golf and do other things, so it’s probably the best time to look back and say we did our bit.”

Miguel Angel Jiménez – Tracy Wilcox

Spaniard Jiménez has become one of the most enduring and recognisable players on the DP World Tour, teeing it up 722 times to sit second only to David Howell in the all-time appearance list. The 21-time DP World Tour winner also holds the record for the oldest player to win a European Tour event, courtesy of his most recent success at the 2014 Open de España – which he won aged 50 years and 133 days.

Jiménez, a former winner of the Senior Open Championship, is also a four-time European Ryder Cup player – featuring in 1999, 2004, 2008 and 2010 – and he was a Vice Captain under Seve Ballesteros at Valderrama in 1997, José María Olazábal at Medinah in 2012 and Paul McGinley at Gleneagles in 2014.

Jiménez said: “Golf has given me everything in life and I’m very proud to be part of this world. This is not a job for me, it is a way of life.

“I’ve played with so many golfing greats through the years, many of whom have been made Honorary Life Members in the past. It’s great to be a part of this world and the fact I have now joined this group and am part of that history is very special.”

Paul McGinley won the Ryder Cup as a captain and a player, shown here on the 18th green of the 2002 Ryder Cup, defeating Jim Furyk in singles – Adrian Dennis

Irishman McGinley is a four-time DP World Tour winner who has made 578 appearances. He has also made a significant contribution to the European Ryder Cup team across his career, including featuring in three consecutive winning teams from 2002 to 2006, before leading Team Europe to a stunning 16 ½ – 11 ½ victory at Gleneagles in 2014.

The 57-year-old was also a Vice Captain on two occasions and last month was named as a Strategic Adviser to the European Ryder Cup Team, having been part of the Ryder Cup Committee since 2019. He was also a member of the European Tour’s Board of Directors from 2016 to 2023.

McGinley said: “It’s obviously a great honour and I think it’s not just a recognition of me as a player but the work put in behind the scenes. I’ve been a member of the Tour, a Board member and I was on the Players’ Committee for 15 years.

“I’m European Tour Group through and through and I’ve got its best interests at heart. There are challenging times at the moment but also a lot of opportunities in golf. I’ll keep this card in my wallet and it’s a nice thing to have.”

Main Image: Getty Images

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By John Strege
This PGA Tour Champions season, though early, is shaping up as one for the ageless, led by a pair of graybeards who seem to have matured better than the fine red wines they enjoy.

On this Sunday, it was Miguel Angel Jimenez’s turn. Again. Jimenez, 58, won the Cologuard Classic at Omni Tucson National on Sunday and sealed the victory in style, with his second hole-in-one in three days.

It was Jimenez’ second victory in this the third PGA Tour Champions event of the year. The one week he failed to win, Bernhard Langer, 64, did. Langer, who closed with a seven-under 65, tied with Woody Austin for second, four strokes back of Jimenez.

Jimenez’s ace came on the 14th hole with a 6-iron, leaving the popular Spaniard with a five-shot lead and a four-hole victory lap, cigar smoke trailing him most of the way, en route to his 12th senior tour win.

? MIGUEL DOES IT AGAIN ?

His second ace of @CologuardGolf to extend lead. pic.twitter.com/jTbT0bTSTO

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) February 27, 2022

“I got about 178 yards to the hole,” he said of the ace. “A little bit breezy to the right. I hit a beautiful tee shot there.”

Jimenez was a wire-to-wire winner, closing with a seven-under par 65 and a 54-hole total of 18-under par 198.

On Friday, Jimenez used the same 6-iron to ace the 196-yard seventh hole. The holes-in-one were the 12th and 13th of his competitive career, 10 of them coming on the European Tour and one on the renowned 17th hole at the TPC Sawgrass in the Players Championship.

Langer, meanwhile, continues to defy his age. He played a bogey-free round that on another day might have been good enough for senior win No. 44.

“It was great,” he said. “Played pretty good. Sixty-five on Sunday, seven under, is always special. Almost shot my age. Just Jimenez was too good this week. He’s had a nice lead going into today and he’s on fire again. He’s a great player and we were basically battling it out for second between Woody Austin and myself.”

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Stenson will tee it up for the 20th successive time at Emirates Golf Club in what will be the 32nd edition of the Desert Classic from Jan. 28-31.

“It’s amazing to think that the UAE is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and that I lived in Dubai for almost 10 of those years,” said Stenson. “It’s always great to be back in Dubai. Emma and I got married here in 2006, and it still feels very much like home.

“I have had a lot of success in the region – I’ve won the OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club, the DP World Tour Championship and also in Qatar, so I feel comfortable out here.”

RELATED: Ten Major champs poised for OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic

The 44-year-old has a stellar record in the Desert Classic, winning the 2007 edition with a birdie on the 18th to edge out Ernie Els by one stroke with Tiger Woods third, in addition to seven other top-ten finishes.

“I think I have probably played more rounds on the Majlis than anywhere else on Tour, so in terms of tournament preparation, I will base it mostly on getting used to the conditions that the course is in, because I know the layout better than most,” said Stenson.

“The Majlis is one of those courses that I never get bored of and always enjoy playing. Hopefully my knowledge of it will turn into an advantage this year.”

Joining Stenson is a raft of past winners also returning to the event, including Miguel Angel Jimenez, Haotong Li, Stephen Gallacher, Thomas Bjørn, Alvaro Quiros, recent major champions and former winners Sergio Garcia and Danny Willett, as well as three-time winner Ernie Els and defending champion Lucas Herbert.

Jimenez made his first outing at Emirates Golf Club in 1990 and will be teeing it up at the event for the 27th time, with his victory coming in 2010 after a play-off win over Lee Westwood.

Miguel Angel Jimenez

The Spaniard made four Ryder Cup appearances in his career and was twice a Vice Captain in 2012 and 2014. He holds many European Tour records, including the highest number of starts (710) and he has made 10 holes-in-one on Tour, breaking the record previously held by Colin Montgomerie.

“I love coming back to Dubai every year and this tournament has a special place in my heart,” said Jimenez. “It has always been a great place to play golf and as the first event the European Tour held in the region, the OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic is one of the most important to the players.”

Scotland’s Gallacher remains the only player in tournament history to have won the title in back-to-back years have triumphed in 2013-14.

Stephen Gallacher

“I love coming back to this event because the Majlis is a course I know I can play well on,” said Gallacher. “Any time you come to a venue where you have won before gives you confidence – and that, in addition to the slight breeze you often get and the humidity, makes me feel comfortable.

“Winning the OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic twice in a row is certainly one of the highlights of my career so far and I’d love to add a third.”

RELATED: Wilco Nienaber is bringing his ‘nuke’ powered driver to the Desert Classic

China’s Li, who became the first Asian player to win the title in 2018 with a one-stroke win over Rory McIlroy, is also keen to immerse himself in the familiar sights and sounds of Emirates Golf Club once again.

“This is a special event on the European Tour and one I always look forward to playing,” said Li. “I have great memories of winning three years ago and it would be nice to make more memories this year.”

Haotong Li

An elite field has been assembled at Emirates Golf Club including Major champions Justin Rose, Collin Morikawa, Shane Lowry, Graeme McDowell, Ernie Els, Martin Kaymer and Padraig Harrington, and countless Ryder Cup stars including Lee Westwood, Tommy Fleetwood, Ian Poulter, Tyrrell Hatton, Paul Casey, Rafa Cabrera Bello and Matthew Fitzpatrick, all set to vie for the Dallah trophy.

In what is the 32nd staging of the tournament, attendance will be for invited guests only, but the action will be beamed to a worldwide audience on mainstream broadcast sports networks, and highlights and exclusive content will be shared on the OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic social media channels.

RELATED: Paul Casey set for Majlis return as second wave of Desert Classic player confirmations unveiled

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By John Strege
Jerry Kelly is a man without a poker face who nonetheless took down his challengers with an ace that no one saw coming on Sunday afternoon.

Kelly, his lead slipping away, won the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship by virtue of a hole-in-one on the 177-yard 12th hole at the South course at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio.

With a single swing, Kelly’s one-stroke lead became three, then four when playing partner Scott Parel bogeyed the 13th hole. From there it was little more than a formality before he could begin to celebrate his seventh PGA Tour Champions victory and the first major championship of his career.

He beat Parel by two, earning $450,000 and an exemption to the PGA Tour’s Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass next spring.

A @jerrykelly13pga ACE!!

The @BridgestoneSP leader aces No. 12 and stretches his lead to 3. pic.twitter.com/foy01TQHB8

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) August 16, 2020

“I love that idea, the Players Championship,” Kelly said. “I can’t wait to go back there. And just to have a major out here is pretty huge for me. Never getting one, not even getting that close on the regular tour, it feels great.”

Kelly, 53, is an animated player whose demeanour takes any guesswork out of how every shot’s result while it’s in the air. That special highlight on the 12th hole was no exception.

“Come on,” he shouted, easily heard over the absence of a din with no fans permitted on the premises.

Only moments before, Kelly had bogeyed the 11th hole to see his lead cut to one. Then on the next tee, he changed clubs.

“I know the wind switched,” he said. “It was going in and left to right and now it’s in and right to left. I was able to take some off it and cut a little 5-iron instead of a 6- and starting it over the bunker. It made me a little happier.”

Kelly won with a final round of one-under-par 69 on a familiar course for PGA Tour veterans, and one that over four rounds played up to its major championship pedigree. His aggregate score was three-under 277 on a course that has hosted three PGA Championships as well as 20 World Golf Championship events.

Parel was the only other player to finish under par (one under) after completing a round of even-par 70.

Parel, who never played the PGA Tour but has won three times on the PGA Tour Champions, began the final round trailing Kelly by a stroke. Parel briefly tied for the lead at the outset and again trailed by one after three holes, when inclement weather caused a two-hour, 15-minute delay.

By then, it basically was only a two-man competition, and it remained tight until Kelly’s tee shot on 12, struck on a perfect line, hitting about eight feet short of the hole and rolling out and into the cup.

Colin Montgomerie, who began the final round tied for second, shot a one-over 71 and tied for third with Miguel Angel Jimenez, who closed with a 69.

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By John Huggan
Just about the only thing missing from the appropriately sun-kissed scene was a celebratory cigar in the mouth of the man center-stage. But walking towards the 18th green at First of Arden, Miguel Angel Jimenez was all smiles. And why not? He was already eight under par for the first round of the Hero Open, which is doubling as his record-breaking 707th European Tour event. But that score surely didn’t really matter to the maybe 30-strong group of his fellow players gathered to the right of the putting surface on the 211-yard par 3. The popular figure they came to salute could have been eight over for all they cared.

Indeed, it was clearly a touching moment for the man himself. Jimenez was openly moved by the gesture from what was a telling mix of young and old by the green. Speaking of which, immediately after two-putting for a closing par that left him with an opening-round 64, two shots off the lead held by his compatriot, Sebastian Rodriguez Garcia, the 56-year-old Spaniard was greeted by the face and voice of Sam Torrance via FaceTime. It was the 66-year-old former Ryder Cup captain’s record for most appearances on the European Tour that Jimenez was breaking. Long-standing pals, the pair shared a jovial and mutually appreciative few minutes over a socially distant glass of red.

https://twitter.com/EuropeanTour/status/1288880426090663938

“It’s been a wonderful day, eight under par,” said Jimenez, whose most recent win on the European Tour came at the 2014 Spanish Open. “A beautiful summer day, and especially on the 18th green with all my colleagues. It’s made me feel a little bit emotional inside. I appreciate that very much. Some of them are new players. Others I have known for many years. It was really nice.”

There was time, too, for a more philosophical analysis that went beyond a round in which Jimenez made eight birdies and 10 pars. The more than three decades spent accumulating so many appearances on the Old World circuit—what European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley called a “monumental achievement” thanks to Jimenez’s “enduring passion for our game”—was also occupying his thoughts.

“I felt very emotional,” continued Jimenez, who has sprinkled 21 victories and 162 top-10 finishes among his 707 starts. “I cannot describe my day, you have to be inside my skin. I enjoy everything about my life here. It’s not the first time I’ve said it, this is a way of living. Golf is my life, you never remember any bad moments. You can understand that you’re not going to be in a perfect mood and not make a perfect score every time. You can have a bad game, but not a bad day, that’s the difference.”

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By John Huggan
With two of the top 100 golfers in the world—Eddie Pepperell and Joost Luiten—in attendance, this week’s Hero Open is a long way from boasting the strongest field in European Tour history. But for at least two of the 132 competitors at the Forest of Arden in the English Midlands the €1 million event is going to be a special occasion, no matter how well or badly each performs.

Miguel Angel Jimenez will be making his 707th European Tour start, breaking the long-standing record of former Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance. As a measure of the 56-year-old Spaniard’s admirable longevity, just 12 men have made more than 600 appearances, never mind 700. Jimenez has maintained a remarkable level of competitiveness, too. Six years on from becoming the oldest European Tour winner (50 years and 133 days) at the 2014 Open de España, Jimenez led at the halfway mark of the Austrian Open just two weeks ago.

That David Drysdale is making his 500th Euro Tour start this week isn’t quite so notable—he is the 43rd player to reach that mark—except that 45-year-old Scot is also closing in on one of the Old World circuit’s more esoteric “achievements.” All those starts have come without a victory yet. Only Malcolm Mackenzie can boast a similar level of commendable but ultimately unfulfilled perseverance. Hope remains, however, for Drysdale considering that Mackenzie did eventually get over the finishing line first. The Englishman picked up his lone tour victory, the 2002 French Open, at his 509th attempt. So Drysdale, who has four second-places, 34 top 10s and 284 cuts made in-so-far 499 goes at breaking his winless streak, has at most nine more tries before he “beats” Mackenzie’s “record.”

As ever, Jimenez is approaching his record-setting week with the air of someone about to embark on the most pleasurable few days imaginable. We can take it as read that his famously eccentric stretching routine will be part of his pre-round warm-up; that he will be puffing on a large cigar out on the course; and that at least a glass or two of his favoured Rioja will disappear down his throat each evening.

“He’s an icon, isn’t he?” Pepperell says. “And not just of the European Tour. He’s an icon for golf. Of that generation of players, he is probably in the top-five globally in terms of popularity. To have that just shows how charismatic he is. I’ve played with him a few times, and he is always very friendly. How can you not love his outlook? I have nothing but admiration for him.”

That is pretty much the universal view of Jimenez, who made four Ryder Cup appearances between 1999 and 2010 and has won nine times, including two majors, on the PGA Tour Champions in the U.S. since turning 50. And, as ever, his pre-tournament interview was laced with typically self-deprecating humour, all delivered in his sometimes barely decipherable version of the English language.

“When you start, you never know where you are going to finish,” says the 21-time European Tour winner. “But with the years going by, I am setting records. I’ve been playing for 32 years now alongside so many great players. Seve Ballesteros. Jack Nicklaus. Gary Player. Jack Nicklaus. Tiger Woods. Phil Mickelson. And now with the new ones on the way up. I’ve had a beautiful life.”

Still, there was a turning point. At 33 and with only two victories to his name, Jimenez was an assistant captain to Ballesteros in the 1997 Ryder Cup at Valderrama.

“That was an amazing experience for me,” Jimenez says. “I was in the right place at the right time. I learned so much. I had played well before that, but it helped me to be there. I haven’t changed though. Why would I have to change? I am myself. I am Miguel Angel Jimenez, someone who has enjoyed the same things all my life. That’s me. You would, for example, have to plant a bomb in my side to get me away from the golf course. The luckiest thing that ever happened to me is finding golf in my life. I do what I want to do. To me, golf is a way of living.”

To his long-standing credit, world No. 313 Drysdale handles the inevitable “why haven’t you won?” questions with equanimity. Having twice lost his card by a handful of Euros and once missed out at the tour qualifying school by a single shot, he is rightly proud of his persistence in the face of much diversity.

David Drysdale talks to the media ahead of this week’s Hero Open, where the Scot will make his 500th European Tour appearance. (Ross Kinnaird)

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And his career has not been totally devoid of success. Twice a winner on the Challenge Tour, the former Dunbar Golf Club assistant (at which time he played as a marker alongside John Daly in the 1992 Open Championship at Muirfield) has accumulated nearly €6 million in prize money, a sum that places him 113th on the career earnings list. He has also represented Scotland in the World Cup and been a perennial fixture in the tour’s driving accuracy category. Few have hit more fairways in the 12 years that have passed since the Berwickshire-resident made the last of his 10 Q-school visits.

“I’ll never be truly satisfied as a professional until I have won on tour, but the life it has given me is one of extreme fortune,” Drysdale says. “It is not something you set out to achieve when you start playing professionally to play 500 events on the European Tour, but it is a fantastic achievement. I have enjoyed experiences and made friendships around the world. I know how lucky I am in that respect.”

Maybe so, but good fortune was not on Drysdale’s side earlier this year at the Qatar Masters, where he lost out only at the fifth extra-hole to Jorge Campillo. More than once, the Spaniard holed-out from distance to first stay alive then complete victory.

“It was tough to watch Jorge making all those putts,” Drysdale says. “He literally couldn’t miss. On the first playoff hole, the fact that he got up and down from the fairway bunker was unbelievable. But that’s what Jorge does. He is an absolute machine on the long putts and to be fair to him, every single putt he made in the playoff was right in the middle of the cup. He made the putts and deserved to win.”

And so, after all that he has been through, does David Drysdale. There’s still time. Another 207 events at least, if Jimenez is anything to go by.

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