Staff WriterThere are opening rounds, and then there are opening rounds that strut onto the scene like they own the place — which, to be fair, Miguel Ángel Jiménez almost does. The home favourite lit up Aloha Golf Club with a bogey-free 66 to grab a share of the first-round lead at the Staysure Marbella Legends, and he’s got Joakim Haeggman right alongside him after the Swede also fired a sparkling six-under.
Jiménez — a man who treats golf courses like they’re stubborn engines in need of a quick tune-up — was clinical from tee to green, and cheeky when it mattered. The headline moment came at the par-five 5th, where a 225-yard approach snuggled up to the hole and set up an eagle three. Then came back-to-back birdies, and suddenly Aloha looked less like a stern examination and more like Jiménez’s personal playground.
“The golf course needs you to be very precise from the tee,” said Jiménez. “If you miss the fairway, you’re always in trouble. It’s not very long, but you need to be in the right place to attack the flags. Today I hit the ball very solid.”
That quote does a fair job of explaining why the Spaniard was so comfortable: Aloha doesn’t demand brute force, it demands obedience — and Jiménez knows every little quirk, kick and consequence. Living around 30 minutes from the venue helps, of course, but this was more than local knowledge. It was control.
And there’s a bit of edge to it too. With 21 DP World Tour wins and a senior résumé that’s practically its own wing of the museum, Jiménez isn’t here for a gentle stroll. Last year at Aloha, he flirted with contention but finished just outside the top spots. Consider this his opening argument for a different ending.
“I played well here last year and would love to win. We are all here to enjoy ourselves and to entertain the fans at one of the finest courses and clubs in Europe,” he added.
Haeggman’s hot putter, cool head — and a par putt that mattered most
If Jiménez was the smooth operator, Haeggman was the man rolling in putts like he’d been practising all winter — despite, as he points out, winter in Sweden being less “short game tune-up” and more “survive the elements.”
The 1993 Ryder Cup player, and reigning 2024 India Legends Championship winner, matched the 66 thanks to eight birdies and the kind of putting display that makes golfers start checking the grip, the shaft and the legality of the golf ball.
But the defining moment wasn’t a birdie. It was a par.
At the 17th, after finding a greenside bunker, Haeggman splashed out and holed a nerveless 15-footer to keep the round humming.
“Sometimes the par putts are more important than the birdie putts,” admitted Haeggman afterwards. “It just keeps the momentum and the energy going. If you drop a few shots at the end, it’s still a great day but the energy doesn’t quite stay up”.
Then came the line that every golfer has said at least once in their life — usually while staring at a scorecard in disbelief.
“How can you not be happy with 66?” he added. “Coming out of the winter in Sweden, this is way above my expectations. The way I rolled the ball on the greens today – if I can keep doing that, then I can shoot any number. The putter was definitely the key.”
With Haeggman rolling it like that, the Staysure Marbella Legends leaderboard is already wearing a little pressure — the good kind, the kind that makes weekends interesting.
Big names circling as Bjørn, Edfors and Gallacher give chase
Two clear at the top, but hardly comfortable: the chasing group is stacked with pedigree and sharp elbows.
Former Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjørn, three-time DP World Tour winner Johan Edfors, and Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher — another Ryder Cup man — all sit at four-under after opening 68s, two behind the leaders. Mikael Lundberg is a shot further back at –3, joined by two debutants making early noise: Søren Hansen and Anthony Grenier.
It’s early, yes. But it’s already shaping into one of those events where you glance at the leaderboard and keep finding names you remember from big Sundays.
Hansen’s encouraging return: “seeing where my game is”
One of the day’s most eye-catching storylines came from 2008 Ryder Cup player Søren Hansen, who opened his Staysure Legends Tour account with a three-under 69 — a tidy, promising first chapter after a long spell away from competitive golf.
“I’ve been away from competitive golf for a long time, so today was really about seeing where my game is – and it actually felt pretty good,” said Hansen, who in recent years has made a name as a coach to players of the calibre of Rasmus and Nicolai Hojgaard, as well as Matteo Manassero.
Hansen, notably, remains only the second Dane after Bjørn to represent Europe at the Ryder Cup — and while this isn’t a comeback with fireworks and a marching band, it is the kind of steady start that suggests there’s still plenty of game left in the bag.
“I haven’t really been playing – not even many Pro-Ams or social rounds – so getting back into the rhythm of scoring was the biggest adjustment. Today was encouraging but doesn’t fully reflect where I want my game to be yet.”
Alongside him at –3 sits Frenchman Anthony Grenier, who spent a decade on the Challenge Tour and earned his card via Qualifying School last month, immediately looking like a man who plans to make himself difficult to ignore.
Montgomerie and Olazábal on level par as Marbella weekend beckons
Further down, eight-time European No.1 Colin Montgomerie finished level-par, alongside two-time Masters champion José María Olazábal — a name that still carries a little Ryder Cup electricity in the air.
“After a long time without competing, honestly, the start felt a bit uncomfortable and a little tough,” said the Spaniard. “I managed to steady the boat, but then missed a couple of short putts at the end. There’s definitely plenty of room for improvement, but hopefully little by little I’ll start to feel a bit more comfortable out on the course.”
That’s the charm of a proper legends event when it’s done right: you get the nostalgia, sure, but you also get the reality — great players grinding, figuring it out, still caring.
What’s next at the Staysure Marbella Legends
With Jiménez feeding off home support and Haeggman putting like he’s found a cheat code, the weekend at the Staysure Marbella Legends has all the ingredients: stars, stories, and a leaderboard that’s already tight enough to squeak.
Play continues Saturday at Aloha Golf Club, with free entry for spectators — which, given the cast list and the setting, is one of those rare bargains that doesn’t feel like a trick.
And there’s a bigger picture too. The Staysure Marbella Legends is the opening stop on the newly rebranded Staysure Legends Tour global schedule: 18 tournaments, three Majors, and more than €20 million in prize money on offer across 2026.
