INTERVIEW: Masters legend Jose Maria Olazabal

Joy Chakravarty 06:32 07/04/2016
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  • Masters icon: Olazabal.

    Two years after Jose Maria Olazabal won his first Masters and experienced a career high, the world seemed to be falling apart around him.

    A debilitating, and at the time unexplained, foot injury had caused him to miss the 1996 Masters. The pain was so intense, he could hardly walk. The Spaniard watched his good friend Greg Norman suffer one of the most dramatic final-round collapses that year – and the more everyone talked about the tournament, the more he grew despondent.

    Olazabal did come out of what he later called “the darkest period of my life” in flying colours, adding a second Masters title to his CV in 1999.

    The two-time champion is missing out on the action once more this year. It’s the back that’s acting up again – the foot injury in 1996 was later linked by a German doctor to an issue in his lower back – and it’s been exactly one year since he last played a competitive round, a battling one-under par 71 in the second round of the 2015 Masters.

    But there were no dark clouds hovering over him during a visit to Qatar International Golf Club this week, the stunning new course he is designing in Doha. Olazabal, who has won 30 titles across the globe during his incredible career, turned 50 in February and seems a man completely at ease with himself.

    Since turning professional in 1985, Olazabal has played in every tournament that matters in golf, and on most golf courses that would be on any fan’s bucket list, but Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters tournament remains his favourite.

    “It really is a very special place and tournament,” said the Spaniard. “It’s true they present the golf course in the best possible condition. Every hole has a different and unique characteristic. I love the vegetation around the holes.

    “Then there are the traditions that you follow over there, like the Champions Dinner. I also loved the International Dinner that we used to have before, but that has been discontinued now because we have so many international players in the field.

    “The Champions Locker Room is another amazing place. Well… I have only one locker for my two wins, and I have only one Green Jacket. If you fit into the first jacket, you do not get a second one. And you know what, that jacket still fits!”

    Olazabal’s record in Augusta is sensational. After missing the cut in his first two attempts, he finished tied-eighth in his third start in 1989 and never looked back.

    In 24 Masters since then, he has had eight top- 10s, including a runner-up finish in 1991.

    The 1994 win provided comfort during the agony of 1996, which in turn made him appreciate and enjoy his 1999 success more.

    “Now that I think back, the whole scenario would have been different had I not won those two Masters. I’d be really sad to miss the tournament,” said Olazabal, when asked if he’d rather be at Augusta.

    “The fact that I won in 1994, somehow helped me cope up with the frustrations of missing the 1996 tournament. I was desperate to play, but I consoled myself by saying that I have at least won it once.

    “Even though I was in my prime, it made it easier to mentally accept the situation. I was looking at my peers play and I was thinking that I might never play golf again.

    “Perhaps that was the reason why I enjoyed my win in 1999 more. As it happened, I was up against Norman that year, and after what happened in 1996, he was the crowd favourite. Everything he did was lapped up by the crowd.

    “In 1994, it was the second time I was in contention and I was completely focused on my golf. I had blocked everything else. But in 1999, I was very conscious of what was happening around me. And the more the patrons cheered for him, the more I wanted to win. I really was enjoying the challenge.

    “When Norman made an eagle on the 13th, there was that massive Augusta roar, and I had to make a birdie on top of that to stay one ahead. That is one of the most unforgettable moments of my career.”

    It’s difficult to talk to Olazabal without asking him about his great friend, Seve Ballesteros, and the influence of the man who had two Masters wins before Olazabal made his Augusta debut.

    “Seve was a huge help. I spent a lot of time playing practice rounds with him at Augusta. He gave me lots of information, like where the pin position was going to be, how to attack a certain flag, and how to be careful of certain flags,” recalled Olazabal.

    “I learned a lot from him. He would show me shots from various places around the greens and give me tips on how to use the contours of the greens. It was huge for me to have that opportunity to spend that much time with Seve. It would have taken me many more years to understand the golf course if not for his information.”

    Turning to contemporary golf, it is clear that like most people in the world, Olazabal is in awe of Jordan Spieth’s achievement last year, when he won with a record score of 18-under par.

    “He was outstanding. To win in his second year…how many times has that happened? It was extraordinary,” enthused Olazabal. “He really is the whole package. You can have the greatest skills, but at the end of the day, you need to be particularly good from the neck up to do what he has managed to do. Jordan is extremely mature for his age, and that maturity is needed to soak up the pressure of a major championship.”

    Olazabal is not the only Augusta expert skipping the Masters this year because of back trouble. Tiger Woods, the 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2005 champion also misses out.

    “Obviously, he has his back issues and something to do with nerves. From what I know, nerves are a little bit harder to regenerate,” Olazabal added. “But I have always said, I have seen Tiger play at his very best, and I know how strong he is mentally. I have no doubt that if he recovers from this physically, I really believe that he will be in the mix for winning more majors.”

    As for his own return to the course, Olazabal is certainly leaving the door open.

    “I miss golf a lot. I miss the competition. I love to put myself to the test again and again. I enjoy the challenge that golf represents everyday – the practice, the travelling… all those elements,” he said. “I love to play golf, and I’d love to play every day, but whether it happens or not, we will have to wait and see.”

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