Miguel Angel Jimenez fires 66 to grab Senior Open lead at Royal Porthcawl

BRIDGEND, Wales — Miguel Angel Jimenez shot a 5-under 66 to take the first-round lead at the The Senior Open on Thursday, five years after he became the first Spaniard to win the tournament.

Jimenez is two shots ahead of Alex Cejka and Mario Tiziani at Royal Porthcawl. Vijay Singh and Jeev Milka Singh are three shots off the lead.

“I am playing very solid on all parts of the game, from the tees to the greens, putting working also,” Jimenez said.

Full-field scores from The Senior Open Championship

Jimenez, who edged Bernhard Langer by one shot at St. Andrews in 2018, made six birdies and one bogey.

“I was little bit rushing myself there,” he said of his bogey on the 14th. “That was the only bad thing.”

Defending champion Darren Clarke’s 73 included a double bogey on the par-4 first.

Langer, who won the last time The Senior Open was held at Royal Porthcawl in 2017, also carded a 73. He is a four-time winner of this major and has been runner-up three times.

The tournament is the last of five majors on the senior schedule. The winner gets into The Open next year at Royal Troon.