May 20, 2014 – When people ask Pisha about what his secret is for carrying on winning tournaments at 50, he often responds: “Good food, good wine, good cigars, ha ha​​… and some exercise. Seriously, I do what I like in life and playing golf is what I really love.”

Well, okay, ha ha, but that doesn’t explain how he is able to beat at the 2014 Open de España players who are much younger and stronger than him, like Thomas Pieters, who was better than him in Driving Distance (average of 296,8y compared with the 308.4y of the Belgian), or win without having an extraordinary average of Greens in Regulation like Richard Green (58.3% versus 66.7% of Australian player).

There’s no doubt that Jimenez surpasses them in experience and wisdom. He has been professional since 1982, long before Richard Green (1992) and Thomas Pieters (2013). But all three managed to score the same result (284 shots) in the PGA Catalunya Resort. So..?

To compensate for his shorter Driving Distance (Pieters came 3rd and Jimenez 22nd in this Open de España), Pisha outperforms them in Driving Accuracy (10th with 71.4% compared with 44th with 62.5% by the Belgium player). And if we look at the overall statistics of the European Tour, Pisha compensates the weaknesses of his game with an excellent average of Putts per GIR (9th) and Putts per Round (15th), and maintains a good Scrambles level (21º), the frequency of par or better when the Green in Regulation fails, and the consistency in Driving Accuracy.

Finally, Jimenez knows very well what Ping equipment best suits him, who is manufacturing it for him in Phoenix, and he keeps it perfectly tuned thanks to the fitters of the brand on Tour, and what’s more important, he dominates the game with his clubs to the perfection.

In summary, Pisha’s secret must be a cocktail composed of his accuracy for keeping the ball on the fairway from the tee, despite going shorter, his extraordinary ability to recover when he misses the green, his low number of putts per round, his excellent set of Ping clubs, his mental strength, and his ‘old dog’ wisdom.

What’s in the bag of Miguel Angel Jiménez?

• Driver: Ping i25 (9.5º, Aldila Tour Blue 65-X, tipped 1”, 46”, D5+, Lamkin PermaWrap 58 Round grip)
• Fairway Woods: Ping i25 (14º -tipped 12, 43.50”-, 18º -tipped 1.50”, 43”-, 21º -tipped 2”, 42.50”-, Aldila Tour Blue 75-X, Lamkin PermaWrap 58 Round grip)
• Irons: Ping S55 (4-PW, True Temper Dynamic Gold Superlite X100 w/Sensicore, std. lenght, red CC, D1+, Lamkin PermaWrap 58 Round grip)
• Wedges: Ping Tour Gorge (52º, 60º, True Temper Dynamic Gold Superlite X100 w/Sensicore, std. lenght, red CC, D3+, D5, Lamkin PermaWrap 58 Round)
• Putter: Ping Scottsdale Pickemup (18º lie, 3º loft, 34”)
• Golf ball: Srixon  Z-STAR
• Apparel: Lacoste
• Footwear: Nebuloni

Pictures: Jorge Andreu.

Por REDACCIÓN