Jose Maria Olazábal, the 60-year-old two-time Masters champion, held the lead early in the first round at Augusta National on Thursday. He started with birdies on holes 2 and 3 but finished with a 2-over 74. Olazábal noted the shock among players and fans as he topped the leaderboard momentarily.
Augusta, Ga. — Jose Maria Olazábal, making his 37th Masters appearance, surprised the field by leading the tournament early Thursday morning. The 1994 and 1999 champion birdied the second and third holes in the third group of the day, reaching 2-under par while others trailed behind. Players and spectators took notice as he held the top spot temporarily. “Everybody was in shock,” Olazábal said with a smile after his round. “Of course, yes, I look at the leaderboard. I saw myself 2-under par, and for a little while I said to myself, hey, I’m leading the Masters. There you go. [Laughs] It’s one of those things. Obviously it was fun.” After 10 straight pars, Olazábal faltered late. He bogeyed the 14th, made double bogey on the 15th when his approach shot spun off the green into the water, and bogeyed the 16th before pars on 17 and 18 for a 2-over 74. He hit 11 fairways and five greens in regulation, averaging 271.5 yards off the tee. Playing alongside 21-year-old Aldrich Potgieter, who averaged 332 yards and leads the PGA Tour in driving distance, Olazábal finished 10 strokes ahead of his partner. “You just have to stay focused on your game. You cannot be distracted about that,” Olazábal said. He reflected positively, adding, “I’m really pleased. I mean, I will take 2-over par every day over here.” Olazábal recalled his first Masters win in 1994, when he also shot 74 in the opening round and skipped the driving range in frustration before rebounding over the next days.
