José María Olazábal played his first tournament on the PGA Tour Champions in February 2017. It was the Allianz Championship. He finished in 41st place with three rounds of 71, 67 and 72 strokes. Since then he has competed in 91 tournaments and, as the numbers show, he can be said to be in the best form of his life
Olazábal finished the Hoag Classic in Newport Beach, California this Sunday. His final position was 14th. It is his second best ever result in an individual tournament on the American over‑50s circuit. It is only bettered by the fifth position he achieved in Morocco in 2020. In other words, it is his best individual result on the Champions on American soil
But there’s more. Jose Mari completed the Hoag Classic with three rounds of 69, 67 and 67 strokes. It is the second time in his entire senior career that he has posted all rounds below 70 in a tournament. The other time was at the 2019 Chubb Classic, when he carded 68, 69 and 69. That is to say, relative to par (he finished at -10) it is also his best ever performance
But there’s even more. Don’t go yet. Olazábal has now strung together four rounds below 70, since to the three at the Hoag Classic you must add the third and final round of the Cologuard Classic he played the previous week. He shot 67. That is to say, the last four rounds of the golfer from Hondarribia are 67, 69, 67 and 67. Never since becoming a member of the PGA Tour Champions has he put together such a positive streak of four rounds under 70
Obviously, this record is merely a sign that the great Medinah captain is playing better, he has found something, and the timing could not be more positive, as his next competitive stop is the Masters de Augusta. His beloved Masters de Augusta, where he was crowned champion in 1994 and 1999
Needless to say, Chema does not go to the Masters with any aim other than to enjoy his best week of the year and, if possible, be as competitive as he can, something he always achieves in every edition. Afterwards, if he makes the cut it would be the icing on the cake. Don’t think it is so far‑fetched to see Jose Mari playing the weekend. In fact, he did so in 2024 arriving with worse results than on this occasion
The main point is that Olazábal is competitive again on the PGA Tour Champions. Last year, for example, in seven individual tournaments he played he never shot below 70. And in 2024 and 2023 he did so on three occasions in ten tournaments played each season. In other words, this year with only two tournaments he has already bettered his best records of the last three years. If he maintains this level, he might even treat himself to competing some week with the best on the Champions. It has always been his dream and, certainly, he has never given up. Exemplary
Miguel Ángel Jiménez finished tenth at the Hoag Classic, a tournament won by Stewart Cink, the great current dominator of the circuit. He has won two of the four tournaments played in 2026 and three of the last five he has entered
