Jimenez Breaks Leg Skiing


Miguel Angel Jimenez took a fall over the weekend while skiing in the Sierra Nevada Mountains near his home in Malaga, Spain. The 48-year-old knew something was wrong, and he was right: his right tibia was broken, just below the knee.

"When I took up skiing I knew the risks that I was taking, but I love it so much I could not stop," Jimenez told the European Tour website.

"I was going down a hill and lost control briefly and when I fell it was very sore. I knew immediately I had broken something," added Jimenez, who turns 49 on Saturday. "The medical staff at Sierra Nevada took me for an x-ray straight away and I am very thankful to them, as well as all of the staff at the hospital, for their quick and professional response.

"I broke the top of the tibia in my right leg, just where it meets the knee, and they put in two pins. It will take three, four or five months to recover and be able to return to competition. I was playing very well but these things happen in life."

Jimenez was named the European Tour's golfer of the month for November after he triumphed in the Hong Kong Open, which made him the oldest winner in Tour history at 48 years and 318 days. The win was his 19th on the European Tour but first in over two years.

Though Jimenez won't be seen on a golf course for awhile, he's not letting the injury stop him from working. "It has not all been bad news for me to finish the year, however, and in just a few days I will be opening my new golf school near Torremolinos," he noted.

In a statement, the European Tour said, "The surgery was successful. He is expected to be discharged on Monday, so that, armed with crutches, he can see out the year at home with his family."

The pony-tailed Jimenez, who enjoys fine wine and cigars, was a vice captain to countryman Jose Maria Olazabal on the victorious 2012 European Ryder Cup team. He's been listed as among the favorites to be captain of the 2014 European squad at Gleneagles in Scotland, joining Colin Montgomerie, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley.

Tom Watson will be the Americans' 2014 captain; the Euros are expected to announce their captain in January.