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AUGUSTA, GEORGIA | Let’s take a moment to appreciate not just what José María Olazábal did in making the cut as a 55-year old in the Masters last week but for a career that hasn’t quite reached its sunset.
Olazábal had a quiet brilliance about him in his prime when he won two Masters, six PGA Tour events and 23 European Tour events, and he offered a reminder of that at Augusta National, making the weekend for the first time since 2014.
While it’s not uncommon for fiftysomethings to make the Masters cut, Olazábal had not played a competitive round since the November Masters. In fact, he hadn’t played much golf at all until he began preparing for his 32nd Masters at home in Spain in mid-March.
When he got through to the weekend, Olazábal was inundated by congratulatory messages.
“I think they were all in a state of shock, I have to say,” Olazábal said. “Nobody expected it and that’s why I got so many messages. ‘Oh, you made it. ... You made it.’ That was it. They were all pretty happy.
“(It was) pretty unexpected after seven years of not making the cut.”
Olazábal did it the way he always did it – with intelligence and a short game that would belong in golf’s Louvre if there were such a thing. Of the 54 players who made the cut, Olazábal ranked last in driving distance – averaging more than 10 yards less than 53rd-ranked Brendon Todd and more than 60 yards less than Cameron Champ.
“His short game is one of the best that’s ever been.”
Phil Mickelson
No player who made the cut hit fewer greens than Olazábal but he built a Hall of Fame career by knowing how to save shots. Like his mentor and friend Seve Ballesteros, Olazábal has a rare combination of imagination and touch on the short shots.
“His short game is one of the best that’s ever been,” said Phil Mickelson, who marvels at Olazábal’s ability to play shots along the ground, particularly on sticky rye grass.
Olazábal said he learned to improvise as a youngster because his instructor wouldn’t let players grab the sand wedge to hit shots around the green. He preached creativity and Olazábal built his career on it.
“I was born and raised that way,” Olazábal said. “I was never a long hitter. I had to compensate that somehow with the rest of the game. Obviously, the short game was part of it.”
It has been nearly 10 years since Seve Ballesteros passed away and last Friday would have been his 64th birthday. Olazábal knew that and found an inspiration in his friend’s memory.
“I miss him, I have to say, especially around here, because I know that he would be enjoying every part of being here,” Olazábal said.
Having made the cut again, how long will Olazábal continue to play in the Masters?
“The game will dictate,” Olazábal said. “It’s as simple as that. The game will tell you when you have to stop.”
Now, Olazábal was reminded last week, is not that time.
Ron Green Jr.