Jose María Olazabal

José María Olazabal’s path to the Tour reflected the changing trend of the professional game in Spain. Whereas in the past players such as Severiano Ballesteros worked their way up through the caddie ranks before turning professional, Olazabal - though also from a modest family background - learned the game during a stellar amateur career. He remains the only player in the history of the game to have won the British Amateur, Youths and Boys titles, finished first in the 1985 European Tour Qualifying School and went on in his first full season in 1986 to win twice, finish second in the order of merit and be chosen Rookie of the Year. After a minor relapse in 1987, when he dropped to 17th, he won each year and was never lower than seventh in the final money list until 1993, when he failed to win and ended the year 18th. By 1994 he was back up to fourth, and, more important, had finally broken through for his first “major” - the US Masters. In 1995, however, his glistening world began to dim as he was forced to withdraw from the Ryder Cup through a toe injury and later had to delay his return to the game because of a mystery illness later diagnosed as rheumatoid polyarthritis - missing the entire 1996 season. Finally, after a couple of false starts, he returned to the tour in the Dubai Desert Classic in February-March 1997 and, after a slow start, shot a superb seven-under-par 65 in the third round and eventually finished joint 12th - and the leading Spaniard. One week later he fought back tears on the final green at Maspalomas (Gran Canaria) as he secured a two-stroke victory in the Turespaña Masters-Open de Canaria. He promptly returned to the top-10 of the European money list, and in spite of another lapse in form in 1999, managed to match Seve’s feat of winning two US Masters titles and also achieved something that had eluded the maestro - help bring the Dunhill Cup to Spain.
Victory in the Benson and Hedges International Open in England (his first European Tour title in two years), and other strong performances around the world, propelled him to sixth position in the 2000 order of merit, and he also shared Spain’s successful Dunhill Cup defence with Miguel Angel Jimenez and Miguel Angel Martín.
Olazabal joined Jimenez and García in playing on the US and European Tours in 2001, but it was his home tour that provided the only real joy: victory in the French Open.