Jose Maria Olazabal takes positives from loss - Buick Invitational

Jose Maria Olazabal was determined to take the positives out of his playoff loss at the Buick Invitational when he missed a three-foot par putt at the second extra hole on Sunday.

The 39-year-old Spaniard had just produced a superb bunker shot at the par-three 16th but his putting lapse gifted the title to world number one and defending champion Tiger Woods.

"I think with age you have a tendency to be able to forget these things easier, and I'm getting old," a smiling Olazabal told reporters.

"It's been a good week. I would have loved to have made that putt and keep on playing the playoff, but I didn't hit it hard enough. It was a tricky putt."

Hunting his seventh PGA Tour victory, Olazabal birdied the final regulation hole on the South Course at Torrey Pines for a closing 69, joining Woods and Australian rookie Nathan Green in a sudden-death playoff.

Green exited at the first extra hole after running up a bogey-six and the title was decided one hole later when Woods made a regulation par.

Twice U.S. Masters champion Olazabal, whose last PGA Tour win came at Torrey Pines in 2002, was happy enough with his all-round game.

"I played very solid actually," he said. "There were only a couple of holes that I didn't play well. All day long I hit the ball solid. I believe I played good golf."

The Spaniard, who reeled off five birdies and two bogeys on the last day, was a little surprised with his second-place finish after battling to an opening 74 and a third-round 71.

"I struggled the first day and I struggled yesterday," he said. "When I came here, I was feeling rusty after 10 weeks off.

"I wasn't really very pleased with the way I was hitting the ball but it ended up nice."

Olazabal, however, was not prepared to raise his expectations for the season ahead.

"I know that you cannot predict the future," he said. "You might be playing great golf today or this week, and then the following week you may not hit any shot.

"Always I am trying to improve my game to make it more solid. I think it's been like that all through the years.

"I've been a streaky player. I've been able to play great golf for three or four weeks, and then for three or four weeks I couldn't hit the ball straight. I'm trying to be more consistent."