Miguel Angel Jimenez, known as the Mechanic for his passion for Ferraris, leads the 142nd Open Championship underway in Muirfield, Scotland, with three strokes under par. Tiger Woods chases him closely with -2, while Francesco Molinari, man of the match on the long game, is eleventh at +1. Open to forget for Matteo Manassero who remains out of the cut with +15, together with a large group of excellent players, first, among others, Rory McIlory, +12 and Justin Rose +10.
Born in Malaga 49 years ago, Jimenez would be the oldest winner in British history. In his 31-year career he played 500 tournaments on the European tour and won 18 times, never a major though. Not a very powerful player, but precise, with great experience and character, Jimenez does not seem troubled by his position in the most prestigious grand slam championship. Cigars, cars and red wine are his passions together with golf, which he devotes himself to at the same time, without many prejudices: "I do what I like", he admits. On the driving range it's easy to see him stretching, or doing a sort of belly dance, with a cigar firmly planted in his mouth and an ironic look. Today he is on the tee in the last tee: will he be able to keep up with the formidable Scottish links for another 36 holes? It would be a fantastic way to cap off a fantastic career. On the other hand, Muirfield needs a solid and skilled player and Jimenez responds perfectly to the identikit.
However, the pursuers of the Mechanic are formidable. Tiger Woods isn't in great shape, but he's very concentrated, he really wants this title for the fourth time and is one step away from the top. La Tigre, after a shaky start, left the woods in his bag and chose a very conservative strategy: irons and hot putts so as not to lose contact with the leaders. And at the end of the second day, these choices paid off. The world number one is tied with Swede Henirk Stenson, Lee Westwood and Dustin Johnson just one stroke behind the Spaniard. The next few holes will be an interminable war of nerves, in which Tiger has few rivals. Muirfield, however, is a field that can make anyone lose their minds. After 15 days of sunshine it looks like a thatched wasteland, with greens pale green from a few nighttime waterings. On the fairway the ball often rolls uncontrollably, undergoes innumerable pitfalls, until it slips into an inextricable rough or into deep bunkers. Even worse are the greens, a rebus of illegible slopes, capable of knocking out even great putters like Brandt Snedeker. The uncertainty of the wind also hangs over these already difficult conditions, which in Scotland can decide much more than the great will of a player. In short, it is a challenge, once again, to follow all of it. Francesco Molinari's performance so far has been excellent, his statistics on the pitch are impressive, where he was probably number one on shots from tee to green. Too bad the putt isn't up to par with the rest of the game, a handicap for such a great player. Today Francesco leaves at 14,10 (15,10 in Italy) with Webb Simpson, winner of the US Open 2012. Jimenez, in the last start, plays at 15,20 (16,20) with Stenson. Just before, 15,10 (16,10) Tiger Woods and Lee Westwood.
