Despite not contending at the business end of thing, it was a good final day for Darren Clarke and Padraig Harrington as Miguel Angel Jiménez beat Steven Alker in a playoff to win his third senior major at the Kaulig Companies Championship, cue the celebratory cigar!
Clarke shot a one-under-par 69 for a two-over-par total and a tie for 21st place while Harrington ended a poor week with a three-under-par 67, enough to move him into a tie for 30th place.
Jimenez took the Kaulig Companies Championship title, for his fourth PGA TOUR Champions victory of the season, rallying to force a playoff and then beating Steven Alker with a 20-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole. Two strokes down after playing partner Alker birdied the par-five 16th, Jimenez made a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-four 17th and an 18-footer on the par-four 18th to force the playoff.
“I knew I had to make birdie-birdie to have any chance.” Jimenez said. “I make birdie on the 17th, gives you wings to go to 18th, and then the rest is history.”
Tied for the lead entering the round at Firestone South, the 61-year-old Jimenez and 53-year-old Alker each shot 2-under 68 to finish at 10-under-par 270 in the major championship.
“It’s very special,” Jimenez said. “I win here and put my name beside of all the great names through the history of the golf tournaments here on this beautiful golf course, probably one of the better golf courses we’ll play all year. No words to explain, fantastic.”
“He made the plays coming down the stretch,” Alker said after Jimenez won what is his third major title after taking the Regions Tradition and The Senior Open Championship — both in 2018 — and earned a spot next year in THE PLAYERS Championship at the TPC Sawgrass. The Spanish star has 17 career victories on the 50-and-over tour.
“Amazing that my game is still nice.” Jimenez said, “I still have a good distance from the tee, my irons are good, they’re sharp, and then still enjoy what I’m doing. That to me is perfect. The only thing is keep counting. I hope it’s not the last one.”
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