Is an Open still on the cards for the 48 year old Miguel Angel Jimenez?
The question that is frequently discussed amongst sports analysts, is the Spaniard, Miguel Angel Jimenez, still in contention for an Open Title?
To compete with younger players at the professional level at this age will require Miguel Angel Jimenez to raise his game to newer heights.
Only recently at the UBS Hong Kong Open did the 48-year-old Jimenez made history by becoming the oldest player on the European Tour to win a championship.
The year 2010 proved to be a turning point for Jimenez, as he came out to be a three-time winner on the European Tour.
With the recent downfall of his form, Jimenez rose up to the occasion and gave an answer to his critics by clinching the UBS Hong Kong title.
As said by Jimenez, “Maybe not the last few weeks, my game is struggling a little bit, a little bit of a mess there, but I still want to go on the driving range, I still like to work with the ball, I still like to enjoy myself and keep playing on this level”.
For the upcoming Dubai Open, Jimenez has set himself up pretty nicely. With a good solid season behind him, he will go into the tournament as a very confident man.
Having made history changes a great deal for a player. Such would be the case with Jimenez.
This speaks out loud about his commitment to the game, more over his love for the game at professional level even at this age. He has not let his age affect his game and considers himself to be a tough contender.
Older players have won Opens in the past - the likes of Roberto de Vicenzo did in 1967. Players reaching this age in the recent past have retired from their professional golfing careers.
Such is not expected of Jimenez in the recent future, as he is still very much a top notch player on the tour.
Bad patches come in every player’s game. For Jimenez, to win an Open will require a great deal of consistent stroke play and to bring out his true potential.
Being as old as he is, he still competes with the best in the business and is a threat to any player on his good day.
There are other players of about the same age who are slowly fading away. These players are losing their charisma, but this is not the case with Jimenez. His flamboyant and lively game play is distinct.
It is because of the way he plays that he has managed to be third-time lucky in the UBS Hong Kong Open. It seems best suited for those conditions.
Although he is criticized and questioned by many, he comes up every time and proves his metal with a strong and balanced game.
Right now is not a good time for a player like him to hang his gloves and stack his clubs. Jimenez is very much a force to reckon with. He is the only glimpse of light on the tour dominated by the younger players.
One of the golfing pioneers, Des Smyth said, according to the report, “It’s a great boost to your confidence to know you can still go out there and beat the talented young guns on tour”.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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