Miguel Angel Jiménez & Cigars

If you’re not a true fanatic about golf, then you’re not likely to know Miguel Angel Jiménez. If you knew Jiménez, 59, you might be more of a golf fan. Especially if you love cigars and appreciate other aficionados who are not shy about showing that cigars are part of who they are. Even on the golf course (but only during practice rounds). Even at the highest levels of the game.

"I come from a different generation,” Jiménez explained once to an interviewer.  “And I'm not a hypocrite. I don't hide the way I am. If I want to have a drink, I have a drink. Why shouldn't I? Is it illegal to drink alcohol? Is tobacco illegal? So why should I care if people see me smoking? I do what I do out in the open."

Jiménez, Golfer, Cigar Lover

Jiménez, a Spaniard, is known on the PGA tour as a favorite of fans and his fellow golfers. At times, when he’s hitting practice drives, he might have a large Cuban Vegas Robaina cigar stuck in his mouth and a cup of espresso nearby. He savors what he has.

“I give all my life to golf, and golf gives me all my life,” Jiménez told Cigar Aficionado. “It is important, no, to love what you are doing? It is important to enjoy the things that life brings you. I always know that when I start to play golf, that this is what I would like to do. I become good enough to be successful and have many good things for my life.”

Jiménez’s Favorite Cigar

While Jiménez was known for puffing Cuban cigars throughout much of his pro golf career, today he favors the Fuente Fuente Opus X PerfecXion No. 2. The Fuente family loves Jiménez back, displaying a statue of the Spanish golfer in the piano room at Chateau Fuente in Santiago, Dominican Republic. Jiménez had a home in the Dominican Republic, but there was no humidor in it.

“In the Dominican Republic, it’s not necessary to have a humidor because the climate and humidity is perfect for my cigars,” Jiménez explained. At two other houses, one in Switzerland and one in Spain, Jiménez said he had small and large humidors, respectively.

Good Golf, Good Life

A top golf agent once commented on Jiménez, saying, “Miguel never rushes anything, he savors everything. He just inhales life, and he exudes it. I’ve never known someone more comfortable in his own skin than Miguel.”

Jiménez’s highest world ranking was 12, in 2004. He may give the appearance of a happy-go-lucky character, but he does practice. He has 41 professional victories, 10 of them on the PGA tour, none a major tournament. His most recent win was in 2022 on the PGA Tour Champions, shooting two holes-in-one in the tournament. In 2020, Jiménez set a record for appearing in 707 European Tour events. Jiménez himself has said there is no mystery about his success.

 "There is no secret. Good food, good wine, good cigars and some exercise!"