José María Olazábal

José María Olazábal Manterola ( born February 5, 1966 in Fuenterrabia, Spain) is a Spanish professional golfer who plays on both the European Tour and the North American PGA TOUR. He is two-time major winner.

Career

His grandfather and his father were Greenkeeper at the golf club; at the age of two years he came to the game of golf so. Before starting his professional career in 1985, he won a number of major amateur championships.

At age 21, his debut came in the Ryder Cup, where six more starts followed (initially successful at the side of Seve Ballesteros ). Nine times Olazábal was the Spanish team at the Dunhill Cup, with the last two sweeps were 1999 and 2000 ended victorious. The Seve Trophy he was represented four times, while finishing up 2005 as a playing captain of the Continental European selection. In 2012, he led the European team in the Ryder Cup as captain to victory. The following year, he managed the same with the continental European team at the Seve Trophy and the European team in the Royal Trophy. He managed so that a historic triple in professional team golf.

Olazábal won 26 tournaments so far on the two most important tournament series in Europe and the U.S., including two Masters victories (1994 and 1999). Between 1986 and 2000, he was ten times in the top 10 of European money list.

In 2013 he was Prince of Asturias Award for Sports awarded the.

Personal

He was known not only for his outstanding play golf but also by his emotions: He broke after a poor opening round at the U.S. Open 1999, the right hand when he hit the wall of his hotel room out of sheer pent-up anger. Even more remarkable, however, is his fighting spirit and off the golf course; Finally, he stood in 1995 on the outskirts of disability, as in his rheumatoid arthritis was diagnosed in both ankles. Over 18 months, there was little to Olazábal run possible, let alone to train.

After a series of unsuccessful treatments, he went to ultimately the Munich sports physician Hans -Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt, who could find a factual basis of Olazábals suffering a pinched nerve in the spine.

After appropriate therapy Olazábal fought within a short time back in the top.

European Tour wins

PGA Tour victories

Major championships are shown in bold.

Other tournament victories

Participation in team competitions

  • Ryder Cup ( for Europe): 1987 ( winners ), 1989 ( draw, defending Cup ), 1991, 1993, 1997 ( winners ), 1999, 2006 ( winner); 2012 ( non playing captain )
  • Alfred Dunhill Cup ( Spain ): 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1998, 1999 ( winners ), 2000 ( winners )
  • World Cup ( Spain ): 1989, 2000
  • Four Tours World Championship: 1987, 1989
  • Seve Trophy ( Continental Europe ): 2000 ( winners ), 2002, 2003, 2005 ( playing captain ), 2013 ( winner, as a non playing captain )
  • Royal Trophy (for Europe): 2009 (non playing captain ), 2013 ( winners, non playing captain )

Results in Major Championships

DNP = did not participate CUT = cut failed "T " shared placement Green background for wins Yellow background for top 10

453206
de