61-year-old Miguel Ángel Jiménez shot a bogey-free final round of 67 to secure a one shot victory at the PGA Tour Champions’ Hoag Classic in California and capture his second win of 2025, while Pádraig Harrington recorded his best score of the week to finish T12 and Darren Clarke was a couple further back in T19.
Six back and with plenty between them and the leading duo of Jiménez and Fred Couples, both Irishmen knew that a victory was likely out of the question, but Harrington had put himself in line for a top-10 finish after making six birdies and a bogey in his first 16 holes on the final day. But he found the water on the par-3 17th and couldn’t take advantage of the par-5 18th and posted -9.
It was a decent defense of the title he won with a final-hole birdie back in 2024, but he’ll now turn his attention to Houston and the PGA Tour where he’s in action alongside Rory McIlroy and Seamus Power this week.
“Closed my defense with a 67 to finish t12th,” he wrote on X. “Lots of good stuff just not my week.”
Clarke, who’d matched Harrington round for round on days one and two, began with two birdies but then followed with three bogeys before making his first par of the day on six. He then followed with eight more before rediscovering his touch and birdieing three of the final four to end the week on -7.
Jiménez birdied each of the three par-5s at Newport Country Club, and added another at the par-3 seventh and this was enough to edge out Stewart Cink and Freddie Jacobson, and he had to complete a neat up-and-down on the last to avoid a playoff.
“It’s under the pressure,” he said. “I tell to myself, contact with the ball, look at the ball, contact with the ball. The chip shot is a little uphill. It’s not a very difficult shot, but in that situation it’s not easy.
“Yeah, with the tournament on the line it’s not easy. I know I had to make birdie to win the tournament and I make it.”
The victory sees the man dubbed ‘The Mechanic’ move to the top of the Schwab Cup Rankings and he’s riding the crest of a wave.
“Well, two victories in four tournaments I play, 50 percent. That’s not bad, eh?” he smiled. “No, it’s very nice. It’s the way I started feeling the second in Hawai’i, winning Morocco and then winning back here.”
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