 Jimenez enjoys his moment of glory
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He rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt at the final hole for a six-under par 64 to lead fellow veteran Tom Watson and 2003 champion Ben Curtis by one stroke.
Even the Jimenez pony-tail didn't get ruffled as he birdied the final two holes in a bogey-free round that left the great and the good trailing in his wake.
For 59-year-old Watson, a five-time winner of the claret jug, watching in the hotel room that bears his name, he surely couldn't resist a smile that a fellow oldie had trumped him - at least for one day - and he'd still topped Tiger Woods (71) by six strokes.
Watson revealed later that he had been inspired by Barbara Nicklaus, wife of Jack, with whom he'd fought out the 'Duel in the Sun' on this course 32 years ago, who had sent him a text wishing him luck.
“Not a bad round for an almost 60-year-old,” said Watson, who turns 60 in September.
Watson's game plan was to keep the ball in the fairway with a series of arrow-straight tee shots. He then rolled in five birdies and and a six-footer for par at the final hole to preserve his bogey-free round.