Golf’s most interesting man is at it again.
Fresh off a fourth-place finish at the Masters, Miguel Angel Jimenez carded a bogey-free 65 in his Champions Tour debut to take a three-shot lead at the Greater Gwinnett Championship.
The 50-year-old Spaniard made the short drive this week from Augusta to Duluth, Ga., and brought his world-class game with him. Jimenez birdied four of his first six holes Friday and added an eagle at the par-5 18th at TPC Sugarloaf en route to the day’s low round. He hit 15 of 18 greens in regulation and leads over Steve Pate, Kenny Perry and Bernhard Langer, who also finished inside the top 10 last week at Augusta National.
At No. 32 in the latest world rankings, Jimenez is the highest-ranked player over the age of 50. Last December, he captured the Hong Kong Open at age 49, becoming the oldest player to win on the European Tour - a record he had set the year prior with a win in Hong Kong.
Jimenez headlined a resurgence from the over-50 crowd last week at Augusta National, as a record six players from that subset made the cut. His fourth-place showing was the best Masters result for a player over the age of 50 since Sam Snead tied for third in 1963.
