KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii » Only a week removed from his mother’s funeral in Spain, Miguel Angel Jimenez felt her in his heart at the most crucial moments of Sunday’s final round of the Mitsubishi Championship at Hualalai.

No one would have blamed him had he decided against making his first trip to the island chain, but he knew his brother could handle all the details back home, so he and his wife began the long journey here not knowing what awaited him half a world away.

After the opening nine holes on Sunday, where he carded a double bogey and two birdies, it appeared the cigar-smoking, wine-drinking Spaniard was letting his chances of winning slip away. But something took hold of him deep inside as he made the turn for home. He birdied six of his final nine holes to seal a one-shot victory over perennial runner-up Mark O’Meara in the opening event of the 2015 Champions Tour.

During the trophy presentation, Jimenez was overcome with emotion as he spoke to an overflow crowd at the 18th green, telling them she was right by his side when he needed her most.

"My mom, she died one week ago," Jimenez said. "Obviously, she was behind me for the trophy and the victory. I know I talked to my caddie on the 10th hole we need to start putting the machine to work. I started to make birdies, birdies, birdies. When I saw Mark was 16 under par, I knew we needed to make at least three birdies to not have a playoff. I made them and no need for playoff. Thanks."

Standing on the 17th tee and tied at 16 under with O’Meara, who was anxiously waiting by the scorer’s tent after signing his scorecard, Jimenez couldn’t decide whether to hit a 6- or 7-iron on what was the hardest hole of the day. The wind was whipping off the Pacific Ocean into the face of the flamboyant Spaniard and the pin was tucked on the left side of the green protected by lava rocks on the front and the raging water on the back; it was one of those defining moments all golfers face.

He decided to hit a knockdown 6-iron that barely carried the green and nestled just on the fringe some 20 feet from the hole. And as he had done five times already on the closing nine, he hit a perfect putt for birdie as the golf ball died in the hole to give Jimenez a closing 6-under 66 and a 54-hole total of 17-under 199.

"I knew if I hit 7, I would have to hit it hard," Jimenez said. "So we decided on the 6-iron, soft swing to let the ball pitch up to the fringe and let it release. It just stayed there. It was very good, right on line. That putt was very important. It was uphill into the grain, into the wind. So I said you need to hit it to get to the hole. In these conditions it was quite slow."

For O’Meara, that made putt was hard to take. When he saw Jimenez hit his second shot into 18 about 12 feet above the hole, he knew it was game, set and match. This is the 15th time O’Meara has finished second on the Champions Tour, a fact not lost on the 58-year-old Californian.

"I don’t know what to say," O’Meara said, briefly overcome with emotion. "This is my 15th second on the Champions Tour. You think when you’re three shots off the lead to start the final round and shoot 64, 8 under par, you’d have a very high-end chance of winning the tournament.

"And you know, I didn’t. People remember the winner. Second place is nice, but not really, not at this stage of my life. I’m disappointed, but obviously Jimenez played really well. He made some great birdies coming in when he had to. My hat’s off to him."

O’Meara is not the only one who has come close here, but no Jimenez cigar. Fred Couples shot a final-round 66 to close at 14-under 202. Since 2010, the popular golfer has two seconds, a fourth and now a third after Sunday’s final round.

Rocco Mediate, who led after the first round and was tied for the lead with Jimenez at the start of the third, shot a 70 to finish alone in fourth at 13 under. Defending champion Bernhard Langer (67), who had a 10 in the first round at the par-5 seventh, tied for fifth with Colin Montgomerie (67), Olin Browne (69) and Wes Short Jr. (66) at 12-under 204.