José María Olazábal
| José María Olazábal | |
|---|---|
| — Golfer — | |
 |
|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | José María Olazábal Manterola |
| Nickname | Ollie |
| Born |
5 February 1966 Hondarribia, Gipuzkoa, Spain |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 160 lb (73 kg; 11 st) |
| Nationality |
 Spain
|
| Residence | Hondarribia, Gipuzkoa, Spain |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1985 |
| Current tour(s) |
PGA Tour (joined 2001) European Tour (joined 1986) |
| Professional wins | 30 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 6 |
| European Tour | 23 (T8th all time) |
| Japan Golf Tour | 2 |
| Best results in major championships (wins: 2) |
|
| Masters Tournament | Won: 1994, 1999 |
| U.S. Open | T8: 1990, 1991 |
| The Open Championship | 3rd/T3: 1992, 2005 |
| PGA Championship | T4: 2000 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| World Golf Hall of Fame | 2009 (member page) |
| Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year |
1986 |
| Prince of Asturias Award | 2013 |
José María Olazábal Manterola (Spanish pronunciation: [xoˈse maˈria olaˈθaβal manteˈrola], Basque: [olas̻abal]; 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, both at The Masters.
In 2012 he captained Europe's Ryder Cup team to a narrow victory over the USA, which seemed improbable at the start of the final day's play when the Europeans trailed 10–6. They came back to win 14½–13½. Olazábal was very emotional with the win, saying in an interview that that was his number one happiest golf moment and happiest moment of his life. The win was inspired by his late friend Seve Ballesteros, to whom he dedicated the win.
Olazábal was born in Hondarribia, a town in the Basque autonomous region of Spain. He burst onto the golf scene in 1984 as a junior, winning the (British) Amateur Championship aged 18. Then, in his rookie professional season of 1986, he finished second on the European Tour Order of Merit aged 20. 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 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking (over 300 weeks). Had Olazábal beaten Ian Woosnam at The Masters in 1991 (he finished second) he would have become the World No. 1. He was unable to play in 1996 due to a foot injury but he recovered and recorded further top 10 placings in the Order of Merit in 1997, 1999 and 2000. He has more than 20 career titles on this tour.
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