Jimenez won't join the club

Unlike many sportsmen whose fitness routines and the way in which they present their public image are carefully calibrated, Miguel Angel Jimenez stands as his own man on a golf course.

As his peers hit balls to loosen up before a round, the Spaniard - with chest expanded - puffs on a cigar in an area where the sound of a ringing mobile phone is sacrilegious.

Isotonic shakes may be the cocktail of choice on tour but the 50-year-old gleefully indulges in espresso, wine and whisky, as evidenced by a slight pot belly.

"This is how I relax - you cannot enjoy life if you rush," the man with a red ponytail tinged with grey tells The Straits Times at the Glenmarie Golf & Country Club in Kuala Lumpur.

He is Team Europe's captain at the inaugural EurAsia Cup, leading the side against Asia in a Ryder Cup format for a US$4 million (S$5 million) pot.

Despite the mischievous grin and easy smiles for fans who greet him, it would be wrong to assume that the Malaga native takes his craft lightly.

He once broke a putter over his knee in anger at a European Tour event in Bahrain - then went on to make three birdies, putting with his lob wedge for a 65.

Even a broken leg from a skiing accident in December 2012 could not deter him from returning just months later to become the European Tour's oldest winner at the Hong Kong Open last December.

Today's young hitters chase six-packs and booming drives with an entourage of personal trainers. But Jimenez, whose fluid swing generates 280-yard drives on average even at this stage of his career, believes in his own - slightly comical - stretching routine, which he executes every morning before the day's first Cuban cigar.

This involves two golf clubs, and makes him look like a failed gymnast, but a YouTube clip has had more than 150,000 views. "It works for me, no?" said the 20-time European Tour winner, thumping his chest.

"So why change? Let the young players do what they want."

This is a man of routine and tradition, in apparent danger of becoming lost in a sport that evolves each day with fresh drivers and debates.

For over 30 years, all his golf and street shoes have been custom-made by a small family-owned business in Milan.

Even as sponsors offer free shuttles by sea and air, he drives to all the tournaments in Spain in the same red 1999 Ferrari 550 Maranello.

Jimenez sums up his world succinctly: "I give all my life to golf, and golf gives me all my life."

It has also given the world one of the sport's most colourful and candid personalities.

At 15, the school dropout worked as a caddie for elder brother Juan at the Torrequebrada club near their home.

The game began to capture an otherwise distracted mind, and the older caddies were soon teaching him to hit balls, out of sight of club members who frowned on them doing anything but carrying their bags.

Jimenez also worked in an auto service shop, later earning him the Tour nickname The Mechanic.

At the 1979 Spanish Open, the wide-eyed youngster watched greatness for the first time in the form of Seve Ballesteros.

After turning professional in 1982, Jimenez took six years to reach the European Tour, and another four to win his first tournament. His biggest victory remains the 2008 BMW PGA Championship.

A win in the United States, as well as a Major, still elude him - his best finish was joint-second at the 2000 US Open.

Still, Ballesteros, Spain's greatest golfer, did select Jimenez as Europe's vice-captain for the Ryder Cup in 1997. He was also part of the victorious European sides of 2004 and 2010 at the matchplay showpiece.

He is also highly regarded by other pros.

"For me, Miguel will go down as one of golf's greats - not just for his longevity but his spirit and the way he played the game," said Graeme McDowell.

The Irishman, ranked 14th in the world, played with Jimenez at two Ryder Cups and is also on his team at the EurAsia Cup.

Jimenez, who is divorced with two teenage sons, is not done with his game yet. Ever the optimist, he keeps his finest bottle of red wine in storage for that elusive Major.

Pretending to flex his muscles, he said: "I still feel good so I play till the big win comes.

"Only Miguel Angel Jimenez will decide when Miguel Angel Jimenez will retire."

nsanjay@sph.com.sg

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