Renck: Miguel Angel Jimenez is most interesting man at U.S. Senior Open

COLORADO SPRINGS The Broadmoor Hotel Bar asks if it can smoke cigars around him Thunder the Broncos mascot wants his frazzled orange-and-gray ponytail His mom has a tattoo that reads Son He is fluent in languages only he speaks He is Miguel Angel Jimenez the bulk absorbing man in the U S Senior Open What makes me unique I am Miguel Jimenez I am me That is it You know Jimenez informed The Post after exiting the scoring tent after the third round I don t worry about the opinions I am in and out the same way Jimenez is his own man Authentic and unapologetic He inhales life And smoke As he prepared for a shot on the par- th he puffed a stogie to take the edge off A birdie and a No finger wag followed after draining a putt Seeking his fourth major title after capturing the Kaulig Companies Championship last week in Akron Jimenez went on a Saturday run And his streaks are consistently a burst of contentment He delivered five birdies and eagled the third hole I played a few really good holes then I played particular holes where that s not me you know Jimenez explained In current times I had a limited birdies but way too numerous bogeys Way too a multitude of There were five in all The golf subject bit back with wind and rain Jimenez left his approach a little chunky on the th hole as he gave back a pair of strokes over the final two holes It left Jimenez irritated despite shooting a his best round in the tournament That left him tied for sixth five shots off the lead at -under par There is no shame in that number Related Articles Renck File Julie Foudy knows women s soccer in good hands nationally in Denver Renck Walker Monfort s first order of Rockies business Demand dad fire GM Bill Schmidt Renck Why is Brandt Jobe still mad about hip surgery And how his son s career helped him rebound Renck vs Keeler Will Rockies follow Charlie Monfort s advice for change Renck vs Keeler Who wins more football games next season CU or CSU The Broadmoor module belongs to the past Want a smooth ride Rent a pedal boat to drift across Lake Cheyenne a long drive from the th green The tall rough and devilish greens demand golfers buckle up The U S Senior Open especially this one is a scramble Jimenez symbolized several golfers on the tournament s third day He exited agitated and delighted He has forever been calm in his own skin But his personality and style mask a fiery competitor The -year-old from Malaga Spain has won four tournaments this season and already has a spot next year in The Players Championship at the TPC Sawgrass He has been on a heater that has nothing to do with his cigars It raised the obvious question How a multitude of strokes can he realistically make up to chase down the three-pack of Mark Hensby Stewart Cink and Padraig Harrington tied at -under I had the ball in play and various short putts Then I couldn t do anything on I felt good after last week But I was tired Jimenez commented I don t know what will happen Sunday I don t know what it will take It s not perpetually up to you Miguel Angel Jim nez smokes a cigar on the th green during the third round of the th U S Senior Open Championship at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs Colorado on Saturday June Photo by Andy Cross The Denver Post Perhaps no one has more fun on the program than Jimenez He plays with resource befitting a man known to go full Sean Payton and knock back a couple of morning espressos And Jimenez on the driving range is a fascinating watch He is part Shakira part yoga instructor Iron in hand he stretches his arms above his head Then he leans forward like a man looking over a cliff balancing on a club to thwart gravity Toe touches and hula hoop-like hip and knee swivels come next before he even thinks of addressing a golf ball Jimenez operates at his own pace Never rushed Unfailingly intentional Several years ago I started doing it Why It has worked for me commented Jimenez who has career victories on the -and-over tour That is not the real stretch though The real stretch happens in the gym in the morning What you see on range is the easy part Jimenez has earned more than million playing on the PGA and European tours and in Asia He has been a member of two victorious Ryder Cup teams The remarkable journey began when his brother introduced him to golf He became a caddy and was eventually drawn to play at the age of Along the way he picked up the nickname The Mechanic Like the bulk things with Jimenez the explanation is layered He is deliberate on the class fixing parts of his encounter But there was also a time he worked on cars That is hard to do now with his current fleet which includes a prized Ferrari Golf is his life But his life is not only about golf He enjoys good food and a spicy cigar But don t let the long hair and acquired tastes fool you What makes him enthralling is not just a bold glass of wine but his ability to win It was one of those days where I battled back You are playing good but then several holes happen that are hard to explain I am confident Jimenez revealed But I will have to play solid and make no mistakes Want more sports news Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver s teams