A Miguel Ángel Jiménez (-3) has found victory at the US Senior Open Championship very challenging. The Spaniard delivered a very good card of 68 strokes at The Broadmoor course in Colorado and is in sixth position, five strokes behind the leading trio of Padraig Harrington, Mark Hensby, and Stewart Cink. They are all at -8 after achieving the same result as the Spaniard in the third round. It’s five strokes, three players, and 18 holes to go. It’s very difficult. However, at this stage, who would dare to bet against Jiménez? It would be foolish.
It’s true that two things need to happen simultaneously for Miguel to lift the fourth Senior Major of his career, the fourth different one, by the way. First, he needs to deliver the best round of the day this Sunday or be very close to it. Second, the three at the top, not one, not two, but all three, need to have a bad day. It can happen, but it’s not easy nor does it happen every day.
Jiménez delivered the best card of the week this Saturday and marked an attack that stands out on moving days. He started spectacularly, with a birdie and an eagle in his first three holes. Off I go. He even reached four under par for the day for a total of -5, very close to the leaders, after 17 holes. He had made five birdies, an eagle, and three bogeys. He was in attack mode. Ready for a final push to remind everyone that they should count once more on the most in-form player of the PGA Tour Champions.
However, it turned out the opposite. Miguel finished with two bogeys on 17 and 18, which have practically made victory impossible for him. That’s how quickly golf can change. Obviously, he still has a shot in the locker. If Churriana’s man has shown anything, it’s that he can make many birdies at The Broadmoor. He will need them this Sunday. He already has 14 birdies and an eagle this week. He is third in the first statistic and first in the second. No one has made two. The only thing he’s missing this week is more precision in his shots to the green and in recoveries, which are always very difficult in a US Open. On the other hand, no one is putting better than him when it comes to capitalising on birdie opportunities.
Hensby, Harrington, and Cink, especially the latter two, have a lot of experience in these situations. There are always nerves and pressure, but they are used to handling them. It’s not easy for them to crumble. The Irishman, for example, holed a chip from off the green on 18 for birdie on Saturday, tying for the lead with the other two. Additionally, Thomas Bjorn (-7) has moved into fourth place, just one stroke off the lead. There are many and names accustomed to winning.
Only seven players have managed not to play over par on any of the three days in Colorado. One is Jiménez. Eleven remain under par in total. Slightly more than on the second day. The playing conditions were a bit more manageable in the third round. Play had to be suspended for a while due to a thunderstorm, and the greens were somewhat more receptive.
