Miguel Ángel has won his first Major on the PGA Tour Champions by proclaiming himself Regions Tradition Champion, held at the Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama.
The man from Malaga lead the first Major Championship of the year from start to finish, signing for a final round of 70 strokes to win with 19 under par and a three-shot advantage over runners-up: Joe Durant, Gene Sauers and Steve Stricker.
This win becomes Miguel’s fifth Champions Tour title, one per season to date. In 2014 he won the Greater Gwinnett Championship, in 2015 he won the Mitsubishi Electric Championship, in 2016 he won in the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic and successfully defended that title last year. Of the nine tournaments he has played in 2018, in five of them he has finished in the top ten and he now occupies fourth place in the Schwab Cup Money List. Having been knocking on the door in the Majors so often in the past, finally he has achieved the Major win he has been waiting for.
Miguel Ángel spoke to the media after his final round yesterday,
"I'm very happy, very happy to have won in 'Sweet Home Alabama', as the song says. It was time! I had been very close on several occasions and I finally succeeded. Steve Stricker gave me no breaks at all, he played very well and it was tight. He made birdies on holes 13 and 14, and on the 15th, which I bogeyed, he caught me. But the putt that I made on the 16th for birdie was crucial to get back on track.”
"Since I came to the Champions Tour I’ve been playing very well; I have achieved five victories but I have had many chances to win. Also, I'm lucky to continue enjoying it a lot, which is the most important thing.
"It's my first Major! I'm happy and I'm going to celebrate in style. "