José María Olazábal

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José María Olazábal (born 5 February 1966) is a Spanish professional golfer who has enjoyed success on both the European Tour and the PGA Tour, and has won two major championships. He was born in Fuenterrabia/Hondarribia, Guipúzcoa/Gipuzkoa, Spain.

[edit] Career outline

Olazábal burst onto the golf scene in 1986, when he finished second on the European Tour Order of Merit in his first season at the age of twenty. In his first nine seasons, he finished in the top 10 every year except two, including another second place in 1989, and he was a regular member of the top ten of the Official World Golf Rankings. He was unable to play in 1996 due to a foot injury but he recovered and recorded further top ten placing in the Order of Merit in 1997, 1999 and 2000. He has more than twenty career titles on this tour.

Both of Olazábal's majors have come in the United States, namely The Masters in 1994 and 1999. He has been highly placed in The Masters on a number of other occasions. Olazábel shares the record for the lowest round in the PGA Championship (63), which he accomplished in the third round at Valhalla Golf Club in 2000.[1]

In 2001 Olazábal began to play on the PGA Tour, while also retaining his membership of the European Tour. He had a solid year on the PGA Tour in 2002, when he won nearly two million dollars and came twenty-fourth on the money list, but has not duplicated the success he enjoyed in Europe in the 1980s and 1990s. He has six career PGA Tour titles, five of them won before he became a full member of the Tour. In 2006 he made a return to the top fifteen of the world rankings.

Olazábal was a member of the European Ryder Cup team in 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1997, 1999 and 2006. He had a famous partnership with fellow Spaniard Seve Ballesteros and formed a similarly successful partnership with Sergio García in 2006.

Olazábal also holds the world record distance for a completed putt. During the 1999 European Ryder Cup team's Concorde flight to the United States, he holed a putt which travelled the full length of the cabin. The ball was in motion for 26.17s, during which time the Concorde, at 1,270mph, travelled 9.232 miles, beating US golfer Brad Faxon's previous record of 8.5 miles, set in 1997.

[edit] European Tour wins

The European Tour recognised the three U.S. based majors in 1998, so Olazábal's 1999 Masters victory counts as a European Tour win, but his 1994 Masters title doesn't.

[edit] PGA Tour wins

Major championships are shown in bold. Olazabal's 1999 Masters win also counted as a European Tour title.

[edit] Other professional wins

  • 1989 Visa Taiheiyo Masters (Japan)
  • 1990 Visa Taiheiyo Masters (Japan)

[edit] Amateur wins

  • 1983 Italian Open Amateur Championship, Spanish Open Amateur Championship, British Boys Amateur Championship
  • 1984 The Amateur Championship, Belgian International Youths Championship, Spanish Open Amateur Championship
  • 1985 British Youths Amateur Championship

[edit] Results in major championships

Tournament 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
The Masters DNP CUT DNP CUT DNP T8
U.S. Open DNP DNP DNP T68 DNP T9
The Open Championship CUT T25 LA T16 T11 T36 T23
PGA Championship DNP DNP DNP CUT DNP CUT
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
The Masters 13 2 T42 T7 1 T14 DNP T12 T12 1
U.S. Open T8 T8 CUT CUT CUT T28 DNP T16 T18 WD
The Open Championship T16 T80 3 CUT T38 T31 DNP T20 T15 CUT
PGA Championship T14 CUT CUT T56 T7 T31 DNP CUT CUT CUT
Tournament 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
The Masters CUT T15 4 T8 30 CUT T3
U.S. Open T12 CUT T50 CUT DNP DNP T21
The Open Championship T31 T54 CUT CUT DNP T3 T56
PGA Championship T4 T37 69 T51 CUT T47 T55

LA = Low Amateur
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10

[edit] Team appearances

Amateur

Professional

  • Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 1987 (winners), 1989, 1991, 1993, 1997 (winners), 1999, 2006 (winners)
  • Alfred Dunhill Cup (representing Spain): 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1998, 1999 (winners), 2000 (winners)
  • World Cup (representing Spain): 1989, 2000
  • Four Tours World Championship: 1987, 1989
  • The Seve Trophy (representing Continental Europe): 2000 (winners), 2002, 2003, 2005 (playing captain)

[edit] References

  1. ^ PGA Championship Records

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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