AUGUSTA, Ga. – Jose Maria Olazabal is 60 years old. He’s won two green jackets and played in more Masters (37) than years Rory McIlroy has been alive. And yet, he still thinks seeing his name atop the leaderboard at Augusta National, even if only for a morning, is pretty, dang cool.
“I saw myself at 2 under, and for a little while I said to myself, ‘Hey, I’m leading the Masters,’” said Olazabal, who birdied two of his first three holes on Thursday before ultimately giving a few back to card 2-over 74.
The round marked Olazabal’s fifth round of 75 or better in his last six Masters starts. He made the cut as recently as two years ago, closing in 72 to tie for 45th place. He still has a few more years before he could potentially assume Fred Couples’ title as the oldest player to qualify for the weekend (63 years, 187 days), but Olazabal proved Thursday that he’s someone to monitor in that regard.
Playing alongside Aldrich Potgieter, the heavy-hitting South African who leads the PGA Tour in driving distance, Olazabal put on a clinic for the 21-year-old who bypassed college a few years back after making his Masters debut as an amateur. Potgieter averaged 332.4 yards off the tee in Thursday’s first round, but when it came to everything else, it was abundantly clear that Potty needs more training.
Potgieter’s 84 was 10 shots worse than Olazabal.
The difference in launch between Potgieter and Olazabal was like throwing a paper airplane into the wake of an Airbus A380. When it came to navigating the intricate corridors of Augusta National, however, there was no comparison. Olazabal, who drove it at a 272.2-yard clip (longer than only Brian Campbell) and had mostly lumber into firm greens that haven’t seen much moisture of late, missed 13 greens in regulation, though he got up and down on 10 of those occasions. He even recorded a save during his post-round interview, when his golf pencil dislodged from behind his right ear and Olazabal caught it mid-answer.
“You cannot be distracted about that,” Olazabal said of Potgieter’s length, easily the lengthiest he’d ever competed alongside. “You know, we have a job to do. You have to apply your game, simple as that. I mean, stay focused on what you have to do. Obviously, you enjoy and you’re mesmerized when you see the ball fly that far for that long, but obviously, you know, you have to stay focused on the job at hand.”
Olazabal’s most notable birdie came at the par-5 second, where he drove it 276 yards behind a pine tree. While prepping to hit his second shot, Olazabal’s backswing caught a tree branch, knocked some leaves off and had some online questioning whether he’d technically improved his lie – Olazabal confirmed afterward nothing was brought to his attention. After laying up to 116 yards, he wedged to 10 feet and made the putt. Easy game. Meanwhile, Potgieter pounded his tee ball into the right fairway bunker, was forced to lay up and then missed nearly the exact birdie putt Olazabal had.
The round unraveled for Olazabal, though, at the par-5 15th, where he came a foot or so from staying on the front of the green. Instead, his wedge shot rolled down the bank and into the water. His fifth shot then bounded through the green, and he’d later get up and down for double, part of a 4-over, three-hole stretch for the veteran Spaniard.
“I mean, you know, Augusta is like that,” Olazabal said. “Five feet can make a huge difference.”
At the same time, 60 yards is nothing at all.