Olazabal gets the weekend off

Jose Maria Olazabal has long depended on a brilliant short game to bail him out of situations created by his frequent wayward drives.

But Friday, not even the short stuff was working. And it left the 1999 Masters winner with a 77 and plenty of time to spare this weekend. His two-day score, a 5-over-par 149, missed the cut by a stroke.

``It was a terrible day on the greens,'' said Olazabal, who was saddled by three double-bogeys on the front nine. ``It's never happened to me what happened today.''

Other notable cuts were 1998 Masters champion Mark O'Meara (6-over); Lee Westwood (8-over), No. 6 in the world rankings; 1999 British Open winner and Masters rookie Paul Lawrie (9-over); Australian amateur Aaron Baddeley (5-over); and Big Three members Gary Player (6-over) and Arnold Palmer (16-over).

With a 2-over 146, 63-year-old Tommy Aaron became the oldest player in Masters history to make the cut. Fred Couples carded a 4-over 148, surviving for the 16th time in as many tries here.

Olazabal, a two-time Masters winner, is the first defending champion to miss the cut since Nick Faldo shot 75-81 in 1997. The Masters' all-time leading money winner derailed his repeat bid with a 6-over 42 on the front.

His nadir came on par-4 9th, where Olazabal, putting for birdie from atop the sloped green, sent the long putt skittering past the cup, down the shelf, off the green and back onto the fairway.

``That has never happened to me before,'' remarked Olazabal, whose other Masters cuts in his 13 appearances came on his first two trips in 1985 and 1987.

He chipped back onto the green, then two-putted for his third double-bogey on the front nine.

``It was a nightmare on the greens,'' he said. ``I was horrendous.''

After struggling with his putting despite posting an even-par 72 on Thursday, Olazabal spent 40 minutes on the practice green later Friday evening.

``I didn't really have a bad feeling about it,'' he said.

Olazabal squandered several opportunities after the turn Friday: a six-footer for par on No. 11; a 15-footer for eagle on No. 15; and a five-footer for birdie on No. 16.

It was the worst round at the Masters for the 34-year-old since he carded a 79 in 1987's first round.

``If you don't make those putts, you're on holidays here,'' said Olazabal, who was seventh in Masters putting average the past two years.

Olazabal was further hampered by sliced drives that left him with difficult second shots. He hit just three fairways on the back nine and two-putted five times after making the turn.

A tee shot on the par-4 14th hooked badly and nestled in a patch of pine straw beneath a cluster of trees, forcing him to lay up short of the green and settle for par.

``I don't think the driving was all that bad,'' he said. ``There was one bad one, and that was on 14.''

Though play was made difficult by course changes and swirling winds, Olazabal blamed himself.

``It was my fault,'' he said. ``In this game, you don't have anybody else to blame.''

Olazabal's day began ominously when he bogeyed the first hole and hooked his tee shot on No. 2, leading to a three-putt and double bogey.

On No. 7, he hit a ``lovely'' tee shot but spun his approach into a bunker. It took him two shots to get out, and he two-putted from five feet.

``I've been struggling with my putting stroke all season,'' said Olazabal, who holds the Masters record for career scoring average up to 49 rounds. ``It was not all that good (Thursday), but I didn't expect it was going to be that bad today.''

As is custom with defending champions, Olazabal will remain in town to present the green jacket to the new Masters winner Sunday. Only two champions have successfully defended - Jack Nicklaus in 1965-66, and Nick Faldo in 1989-90.