There’s nothing wrong with Tiger Woods’ game that a little fun on the golf course couldn’t cure, according to the man who seems to relish each moment inside the ropes more than anyone else, Miguel Angel Jimenez.
Miguel Angel Jimenez just wants Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy to have more fun
Miguel Angel Jimenez has more fun on the golf course than many, if not all, of his peers and he believes Tiger Woods can work his way back into contention by adding some enjoyment to his game.
“All he needs to do is enjoy himself,” Jimenez, who set a new European Tour record over the weekend by drilling the 10th ace of his professional career, told GolfMagic.com last week before he did this at the BMW PGA Championship:
Woods, whose health- and game-related woes have conspired to knock the former No. 1 to 156th in the world rankings, just needs to “go to the golf course and focus the way he is doing all his life,” Jimenez said. “That’s all he has to do. Nothing else.”
For sure, Tiger could choose a worse role model than the 51-year-old Spaniard if his goal is to get back in contention and stay there well into his 50s. Jimenez has certainly mastered the art of entertaining PGA and Euro Tour paying customers, what with his post-ace dance moves, Chi Chi Rodriguez-like swordsmanship and other antics that play to the gallery and the cameras.
“That’s just me,” said Jimenez, who tied for second at last week’s BMW tilt. “When you’re playing on the golf course and you make a hole-in-one or an eagle and hole a long putt, people are coming to see golf and they want to see players enjoying themselves.”
Like the currently top-ranked player in golf, perhaps? Rory McIlroy, before he missed the BMW cut, showed Jimenez his moves and gushed about the elder statesman’s consistent performance. McIlroy also kind of pulled a Babe Ruth and called the third-round shot Jimenez made with a 9-iron on the 148-yard par-3 second hole.
“No, you’re my idol. You know why?” McIlroy told the 21-time European Tour winner. “Every time I turn on the TV, you either make a hole-in-one or hole out a shot. He does it every week!” McIlroy then mimicked Jimenez’s post-ace dance (2:30 mark of video):
He certainly seems to, given Jimenez had just drained an ace a week ago when his feat at the Spanish Open bagged him 288 bottles of beer.
More from him about why it’s so important for Tiger — and everyone on tour — to behave as if they’re having the times of their lives:
“They [golf enthusiasts] don’t want to see people with sad faces -- it’s a theatre,” said Jimenez, who’s not a fan of cranky players mistreating the tools of their trade.
“We have to make a show and people like it. You don’t want to see a player miss a shot and banging his club because he’s pissed off,” he said (listening, Rory?). “No … happiness -- it’s part of the game. You may want to be upset but you have to show the other face and when you do something good, share it.”
Jimenez also credited Woods, who has taken a lot of heat for bulking up too much, with getting him into the workout room.
“[Tiger] was probably the first athlete in golf. Around 15, 20 years ago the way he hit the ball it was a huge difference to the rest of the guys and he was in the middle of all the new players that were coming through that are exploding now,” he said. “We all work out -- even me! You have to in order to keep up.”
As to the reason for his longevity? Exactly the elixir he prescribed for Woods.
“There is no secret. I love what I do in my life,” said Jimenez. “I love golf, competing and that keeps you waking up every morning and gets you going to practice every day.”
★★★
SB Nation presents: Having fun with urban golfing
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