José María Olazábal (+7) misses the cut at the Masters Tournament. He handed in a card of 74 strokes this Friday, two over par, and it wasn’t enough to play all four days. The golfer from Fuenterrabía, winner of two Green Jackets and a true legend of the Masters and Spanish sport, couldn’t repeat last year’s miracle. That’s the thing about miracles, they’re not easy. However, the truth is that he was closer than the result suggests. Each round of the Spanish player at Augusta is a tribute to golf, resilience, courage, nobility, and determination. In short, to each and every one of the values that should be taught in golf schools. Even before the rules.
Olazábal hasn’t made the cut, and there will be some, newcomers, impertinent and foolish, who think that the best thing the great player from Gipuzkoa can do is retire to his winter quarters, stop subjecting himself to the cruel onslaught of Augusta, a course that makes it harder each year for those who precisely made this tournament great. It’s the law of life. Sport evolves, and generations pass the baton. However, Chema has no reason to hang up his boots as a master just yet.
Firstly, because that decision is solely and exclusively his. He will do it when he pleases. It’s his personal and non-transferable right. And secondly, because he continues to prove year after year that he is more than competitive. He is capable of looking the beast in the eye, stepping into the ring, and starting the exchange of blows. He takes and gives. He takes and gives. He takes and gives.
Today, he displayed great golf at Augusta. By the 10th hole, he was on an extraordinary two-under-par run. The irons, which were cold on Thursday, warmed up in the champion’s hands. He hit superb shots, like the second on the 5th, a beauty (about 220 metres), the second on the 7th, the third on the 8th, the recovery on the 14th, the tee shot on the 16th, almost hitting another hole-in-one like yesterday on the 12th. There are too many good things, too many unique moments that we will remember when he no longer plays.
José María Olazábal.
In reality, Olazábal missed the cut at the Masters by two holes. The triple bogey on the 10th on Thursday and the double bogey on the 15th today, pushing to the limit to get the birdie and give himself a chance to be there for the weekend. The backspin played a bad trick on him. Those two holes killed him. A +5 score. That’s it. Two bad holes out of 36. Long live Olazábal at Augusta.
Every round of Chema at the Masters should be enjoyed as if it were the last, although hopefully, that day is many, many years away. It’s frustrating not to see him enjoy a bit more after his great shot on the 12th yesterday or the 16th today, with the crowd standing and applauding his latest feat, paying tribute to the great champion. But really, José Mari enjoys it differently. He enjoys the fight. He enjoys seeing himself competitive. He enjoys standing up to Augusta. He enjoys proving to himself that he still has under-par rounds left on this course.
And for the fans, all of this is nothing more than a blessed gift that we should celebrate with the joy of a small child when receiving a bag of sweets. Thank you, Chema. For many more years.
