Miguel Angel Jimenez posts 66 to surge on moving day

Miguel Angel Jimenez’s pre-round cigar and his is-that-how-he-really-stretches warm-up routine are difficult to miss.

His Saturday 66 grabbed just as much attention.

Jimenez, 50, tied his personal best at the Masters Tour­nament and vaulted into contention at 3-under.

“Well, if you are 50 that doesn’t mean that you cannot play well,” said Jimenez, who will make his Champions Tour debut next week. “I’m still moving. I’m still flexible.”

Jimenez’s 66 tied the record for best Masters round by a senior. Ben Hogan did it at 54 in 1967, and Fred Couples matched the feat in 2010, when he was 50.

Beginning his third round at 3-over for the tournament, Jimenez made seven birdies and only one bogey, giving him a chance for his best Masters finish in 15 appearances.

He did it all with his usual laid-back approach.

“It’s probably funny,” Jime­nez said. “I look at myself sometimes on video, and I’m laughing to you. It’s nice, it’s bueno.”

Jimenez, who tied for eighth in 2008, finally added a strong second nine to move up in the third round. Jimenez had made all seven of his birdies over two rounds on the front nine, but on Saturday he birdied Nos. 10, 11, 13, 14 and 16 and shot 32 going into the clubhouse.

“He played very well and deserved everything,” said San­dy Lyle, Jimenez’s playing partner Saturday. “He didn’t make many mistakes out there.’’

Even when he encountered trouble or momentary disappointment, Jimenez stayed positive and patient. After bogey at No. 12, he hit the flagstick on No. 13 on a shot from the bunker that could have given him eagle, then rebounded and converted a birdie putt.

“I played very well, very patient, and feel confident on the golf course,” he said. “... Sometimes you feel that good that you want to see the things happen, the birdies coming before you hit the shot, you know … .”

Jimenez, who hopes to play in the Ryder Cup, is in position to be the first Euro­pean to win the Masters since fellow Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal in 1999.

He’s also in a spot to possibly turn back the clock.

“It’s my 26th year on Tour,” Jimenez said. “And probably some people say, ‘That’s so many years, that’s got to be hard and that’s got to be hard on the body.’ No, I love what I’m doing, and I hope I’m still in the same conditions for another 25. I’m not going to get bored of myself.”