ON THE morning after his US Masters triumph in 1994, Jose Maria Olazbal was back at Augusta National to be fitted for his green jacket. Looking towards the first tee, he noted the anxiety of myself and three British colleagues as we prepared to play the famous course. "Piece of cake," he grinned, on this his happiest day.
Less than 10 months later, the dark clouds of illness were closing in on the gifted Spaniard. On January 31st, 1995, he underwent surgery in Barcelona on his right big toe, and when Augusta came around again, he had made only one tournament appearance in Europe, finishing in a tie for 20th in the Balearic Open.
In June 1996, he was back in hospital, this time in San Sebastian, having been out of competitive golf since the Lancome tournament the previous September. It was a simple procedure to remove a metal implant from the affected toe.
Yet Olazabal was later to admit that, at that stage, he thought he would never play golf again. "In those days when I woke up in the morning, I knew my first move would be to the bathroom," he recalled. "It was only nine feet from my bedroom, but I could not get there on my feet. I had to crawl.
"At that point, I thought I would end my life in a wheelchair. I would get very, very depressed, but I never thought of suicide. Somewhere in the back of my mind there was the hope that it might be made well again."
Not only did Olazabal make a remarkable comeback to the game in Dubai three weeks ago, he has now crowned it with an astonishing victory in the Canaries.
It is 18 months since he limped noticeably to a share of 26th place in that fateful Lancome appearance in 1995. His condition was diagnosed at the time as rheumatoid arthritis, but has since been claimed by a Munich specialist to be a hernia of the lower spine.
Either way, it meant his withdrawal from the Ryder Cup at Oak Hill where, ironically, the other half of the feared Spanish Armada, Seve Ballesteros, was greatly at odds with his game. Though they had been split for the last four balls at The Belfry in 1993 - when Olazabal partnered Joakim Haeggman - this was the first series of matches the Spaniard duo had missed since 1987.
That was when Tony Jacklin had brought them together at Muirfield Village. And it was a far from promising baptism. In fact, Olazabal played so badly in practice that he asked Jacklin not to consider him. On hearing this, Ballesteros, with typical bravado, exclaimed: "Don't worry. I play good enough for both of us."
After beating Larry Nelson and Payne Stewart by one hole in their opening foursomes match, they went on to set a Ryder Cup record. By 1995, they had been paired in 15 matches, of which they won 11 and halved two.
Yesterday's triumph opens the distinct possibility of a revival of their partnership when Ballesteros captains Europe at Valderrama next September. And since it is still unlikely Olazabal will qualify automatically for the side, he will probably get the wild card place which he had to forfeit at Oak Hill.
Whatever about the future, the present provides us with a wonderful example of the resilience of the human spirit. "For six months, I did not touch a club: I did not ever go to the pitch and putt green outside the house where I used to live," admitted Olazabal. "When my foot was at its worst, I could not stand on it for 10 minutes." Now, he has proved his well being after only three tournaments.
Those deeply perceptive students of human nature, the bookmakers, had him at short odds to win in Portugal last week in only his second event. And the odds became shorter still when he moved into contention at Malpalomas.
They, like all astute golf watchers, knew that great players don't forget how to win. And Olazabal had unquestionably acquired the stamp of greatness when we saw him at Augusta on that Monday morning, three years ago.
That was the destiny which had been mapped out for him from an early age. He would recall: "When I was 15, I was not very long off the tee - the other boys would be 30 or 40 yards past me - so I had to have a weapon. My weapon was to chip and putt, and when I was not on the golf course, I was on the putting green. I would spent 10 hours a day there."
The rewards came quickly. In 1983 he captured the British Boys, Italian Amateur and Spanish Amateur titles. A year later, he won the British Amateur, Belgian Youths and retained the Spanish Amateur. Then, in 1985, a remarkable treble was completed through victory in the British Youths.
A professional career beckoned. But while he was still an amateur, Carrolls had the foresight to give him a sponsor's invitation into the Irish Open at Royal Dublin, where he was tied with Lee Trevino, in 34th place behind Ballesteros.
After turning professional, he remembered that kindness and was tied fourth in 1986 and tied second in 1988, before capturing the title at Portmarnock in 1990. And now that the good times seem to be back with him, we look forward to yet another Irish Open appearance at Druids Glen in hen discussing recuperative treatment after he had finished 12th in Dublin March 2nd, Olazabal declared: "Shoot under par - that's the best treatment you can have." And with the chance to heal himself, he made certain last weekend that the dosage was generous.
