Jose Maria Olazabal - Right where he belongs

Induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame does not provide the same thrill as winning a major championship but it was through capturing a couple of those that José Maria Olazábal became the second Spaniard and only the fourth golfer from continental Europe to join that august institution in St Augustine, Florida, this autumn. Of course, his Ryder Cup performances with the compatriot who preceded him there (an extraordinary 11-2-2 record as a partnership) played a significant part in the award of the accolade as well.

Seve Ballesteros may have been there in spirit on November 2, and most certainly was by way of a video link (his ongoing recovery from surgery for a brain tumour prevented him from making the trip to America), but emphatically present were Olazábal's parents, Gaspar and Julia. Especially in the case of the former, this was a big deal. It was only the third time he had flown – he hates doing it – and the first time across the Atlantic. While neither of them had been present when he won his two Masters titles, in 1994 and 1999, there were there for this.

“When I first told them I was going to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, my mum had no problem with the flying, but she said she would only go if my father did,” said Olazábal. “And I'm glad they decided to come. They really didn't know anything about golf until the golf course [where he grew up] was built. They were farmers, they worked the land, and that was it. They couldn't understand what it was all about – that white thing, those green fairways and things like that.”

In his acceptance speech, the 43-year-old Olazábal described his early experiences of golf, recounting life as a child.

“I would like to tell you a little story about a boy, a boy that the day before he was born, his mom put in the first nine flags of an 18-hole golf course. When he was two, somebody gave him a putter and a ball and told him to putt that ball into one of the holes. He realised that the ball could go in the hole from three feet, from ten feet, and every now and then even from 70 feet.

“A few years passed and he marvelled at all the things the white ball could do up in the air. It could fly high, it could fly low, from right to left, from left to right. And he thought: well, this is a lot of fun. And he decided to keep on playing the game of golf.

“One day when he was 16, he approached his parents and said: ‘Mom, Dad, I want to become a golf professional.' You should have seen the look on their faces. They were petrified. How on earth a farmer's son can come up with such a decision? They looked at each other. They looked at the son and said: ‘Son, if that's what you want, so be it, but under one condition. You have to finish school.' And so the deal was sealed.”

In a speech delivered in English – without notes! – Olazábal reverted to Spanish once, to address his parents, neither of whom speaks a word of English. “Mom, Dad, I want to thank you for all the things you have done, for all the sacrifices you have made for me. You are fantastic and I love you from the very bottom of my heart.” Also inducted during the evening were that giant among Irish golfers, ‘Himself', Christy O'Connor Snr; veteran Ryder Cup player and winner of the 1977 USPGA Championship, Lanny Wadkins; and President Dwight Eisenhower, who did so much to promote golf from the White House in the 1950s and whose eulogy was delivered by Arnold Palmer, who did a fair bit to promote the popularity of the game, too.

Wadkins said of Olazábal: “There was no quit in José. He was one of the best chippers and putters I ever saw, and he was tremendous under pressure. And there was always pressure in the Ryder Cup.” Surprisingly, given the longevity of their careers in the event, they never played against each other in it.

Taking the opportunity to reflect on his life in golf, Olazábal said: “I think I've had quite a successful career. I cannot say that I've missed too many opportunities. At the Open I've been close a couple of times but I really didn't have a shot where you could say that if I had hit a good shot here or there down the stretch, I would have had a better chance of winning.”

He added: “Golf has been a great teacher for me. It has taught me to be disciplined, that there are no shortcuts in life. You have to work really hard to achieve your goals. There are rules to be fulfilled - to be patient, to listen to more experienced people, to be humble and, most important of all, to respect others, regardless of their background.”

In some respects, he equated having to make his speech to the pressure he might feel while under the gun in a major.

“Oh yes, I was nervous. I don't feel comfortable speaking like that. You know you are talking to a huge audience – not just the people there but those who are watching on TV. You don't want to make any mistakes. But it went pretty much as I had hoped. I had a couple of moments where I was struggling a little bit, trying to control the emotions. The only thing I forgot to say, although there is a limit to how much you can say, was to mention [the late] Payne Stewart and one or two other players, especially some Spaniards who helped me in the early stages of my career – Santiago Luna, José Maria Canizares, José Rivero and Manuel Pinero.”

Olazábal's trepidation about keeping everything under control was not unreasonable. Most memorably, after the Ryder Cup at Valderrama in 1997, Olazábal was the first player on the victorious European team to be asked to say a few words by the captain – Seve, of course. “This has been very special to me,” Ollie began. “A year ago I could not walk…” And he couldn't speak any more either.

“That was my most emotional moment in golf,” he said last month. “It happened just after the two years of suffering with my injuries and treatment, everything was very recent. Being the Ryder Cup, being in the team with the rest of the boys, and being in Spain, it was extremely emotional.”

I asked if he had ever had a ‘Watson/Nicklaus' moment. In the final round of the 1977 Open at Turnberry, the famous ‘Duel in the Sun', Tom turned to Jack on one tee on the back nine and said: “So this is what it's all about, isn't it?” Could José empathize with that? “Yes, it happened for me playing with Greg Norman, on the 13th green in the last round of the 1999 Masters.”

Trailing the Spaniard by a shot going into that hole, Norman holed from 25 feet for an eagle three. Olazábal was 20 feet away with a putt for a birdie four that would now tie the lead. He made it. As the ball fell in, the two men pointed at each other with their index fingers, a mutual salute of praise.

“Such moments are very special,” said Olazábal. “The crowd was electric; very loud. The atmosphere was unbelievable. When we looked at each other, I could tell that we were both thinking, ‘This is what it's all about.' I felt something at that moment that I have never felt before or since. At the Ryder Cup in 2006, that was very special, but that moment with Greg was it – the most special moment for me in golf. In fact, it was more than that. When he holed that putt for his eagle, and I still had mine to make, the crowd were going crazy. As I was walking to put my ball down on the green to putt it, I really enjoyed that moment more than anything, even before I had made the putt. I was so conscious of all that was going on around me – the sound of the applause, the cheering – and I remember thinking then, ‘It doesn't get any better than this.' That is the thrill of competition. You realise that those moments are truly special.”

Enjoying them and dealing with the pressures they bring is a major reason JMO is now in the H of F.

The Missing Link

The only disappointment for Olazábal on this occasion was the absence of his great ally and compatriot, Seve Ballesteros. But doctor's orders can't sensibly be disobeyed when the state of your health has been as critical as Seve's has been of late, so perforce his message of congratulations had to be conveyed electronically.

“I'm very happy,” he said. “José Maria Olazábal is a good friend of mine. I think he deserves to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame because he's been a terrific professional, he has tremendous dedication, and because his personal record speak for itself. He did a tremendous job to develop the game of golf in Spain and has offered tremendous support for the European Tour. He's done a lot all over the world.”

Of course, Olazábal reciprocated the compliment at the end of his speech. “There is one more person that I want to thank, and that is my dear friend Seve. He gave me a call when I was 15 years old. Not many people know this, but he gave me a call and asked me to play in a match, a charity match, against him at his home club in Pedrena.And I said 'yes', without knowing the implications of that answer in my future career.

“Something really special happened that day. I don't know what it was, but it was truly special. A few years later, I played in my first Ryder Cup at Muirfield Village [in 1987]. I was a 21 year old boy, and the captain, I guess, didn't know what to do with me. Seve approached the captain, Tony Jacklin, and said: “Tony, I will play with Ollie.”And the rest is history.

“I was never a genius like you, Seve, but I did the best I could.And as my mentor, all I can hope for is that you're proud of me. Twenty-eight years ago you opened a circle and somehow that circle closes today. I want to thank you for all the wonderful memories you have given me and for all you have done for the game of golf.”

Later, he revealed that he does see one essential difference in the make-up of the two men. It has been said of Seve that he loved the competition more than playing golf – that the game was the vehicle through which he found the competition but it was the fight that he really relished.

“That's correct,” agreed Olazábal, who – after all - should know as well as anybody. “He was there to prove to everybody that he was the best. For me, I like to play just for the sake and enjoyment of playing golf, although that does not fulfil you in the same way as intense competition does.”

The overriding sense, however, is the strength of the bond they forged.

“The relationship has so many memories of moments that are unique to us from the Ryder Cup. In a way, he was like a big brother to me. He has always been helpful and he has given me a lot of belief. He was incredible the way he played golf – the way he visualized shots, how he imagined them, how he escaped from unbelievable situations.And he was so strong. He never gave up. Absolutely never gave up. Seeing that from him, perhaps the best player of his time, that was a great confirmation of what you have to do to get to the top.”