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Olazabal not confident
of repeating 1999 success
The magic Jose Maria Olazabal
exhibited during his four days of low-key excellence seems likes a distant memory
for the 1999 Masters champion.
Unwavering in the face
of late charges by Davis Love III and Greg Norman, Olazabal's restrained mastery
earned him a second green jacket. Steady, consistent play exemplified his mechanical
efficiency en route to a two-shot victory over Love.
Since his Masters triumph,
Olazabal has been inconsistent. While he has concerns with his putting, driving
has been the greatest source of trouble.
Following a practice round
at the Augusta National Golf Club on Tuesday, Olazabal revealed his control problems
run the spectrum between severe slices and horrendous hooks.
``I've hit a few branches on
both sides of the fairway,'' Olazabal said. ``I'm still fighting my problems with
the driver. It's something that I don't know when, but I will get right, hopefully.''
Olazabal had no difficulty
determining when he last had confidence driving the ball.
``A year ago,'' Olazabal
said.
Olazabal enters his 13th
Masters with the same pessimistic attitude he entered with last year. Any aspirations
of repeating will require the 34-year-old Spaniard to find consistency off the
tee.
``I will have to improve
that driving,'' the 1994 and '99 champion said. ``And obviously, the rest of
the game has to go with it.''
After a marvellous display
of marksmanship with each of the clubs in his bag in last year's Masters, Olazabal
has floundered in his last 16 tournaments. He has just two Top 10 finishes (including
10th-place in the 1999 PGA Championship) and has placed out of the Top 50 in
seven tour stops since leaving Augusta.
However, the native of
Fuenterrabia, Spain, saw his confidence dip before last year's tournament. One
year removed from near-crippling injuries, Olazabal shocked the field to become
the 14th multiple Masters champion.
``It meant much more than
the victory in '94 because of what I went through,'' Olazabal said. ``That gives
you a different approach to the game, to what you do in life. I think you learn
to appreciate the things you have much more.
``Obviously, it's going
to be difficult to repeat what I did last year.''
``I've hit a few branches
on both sides of the fairway. I'm still fighting my problems with the driver.
It's something that I don't know when, but I will get right, hopefully.''Jose
Maria Olazabal
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