Two-time Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal decided to remain at Augusta National to work on his game despite missing the cut at the 2026 Masters after leading early in the first round
18:58, 11 Apr 2026Updated 19:02, 11 Apr 2026
Jose Maria Olazabal stuck around after Augusta after failing to make the cut at the Masters(Image: Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images)
Jose Maria Olazabal chose to remain at Augusta to practise on Saturday despite failing to make the cut at the Masters. After opening strongly with a five-under 67 to share the first round lead, Rory McIlroy produced a scintillating second round at The Masters.
The defending champion posted a seven-under 65 to reach 12-under and hold a six-shot advantage in the clubhouse. Olazabal made a strong start on Thursday, but the Spaniard ultimately failed to make the cut despite sidestepping a potential rules breach during his opening round following a contentious ‘illegal swing’ incident.
Olazabal claimed the Green Jacket in both 1994 and 1999. After securing his first title aged 28, he completed a remarkable recovery from serious injury by capturing another Green Jacket five years later.
However, Olazabal struggled over the opening two days. He finished the first round with two bogeys and a double-bogey after leading early, then posted a 7-over 79 to finish at 9-over and miss the cut.
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After his disappointing performance, Olazabal will not compete through the weekend. But the two-time champion was in no hurry to depart, instead remaining at Augusta to work on his short game, sharpening his skills for his next tournament after acknowledging his frustration.
Speaking after his opening round, Olazabal made certain to enjoy his fleeting moment atop the leaderboard. The 60 year old told reporters on Thursday: “I look at the leaderboard, I saw myself 2-under par, and for a little while I said to myself, hey, I’m leading the Masters. There you go.
“You know, it’s one of those things, yeah. Obviously, it was fun.”
Olazabal is a two-time Masters winner but faded quickly in the 2026 edition
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He was satisfied with his initial 18 holes before his form dipped in the second round. Olazabal said: “Well, I’ve been playing this golf course 37 years. You know, that helps, to be honest.
“You know, my short game was really nice today. It has to be in order to put a decent score, because I’m going to miss a lot of greens hitting woods onto the greens. As hard as the greens are, I know I’m going to miss a lot of greens.”
“So, first of all, you have to think about what will be the best side to miss, which side will give you the best chances to up-and-down, and you play from there.”
He added: “It was a good round. I mean, I’m pretty happy with it. If somebody would have told me I was going to shoot 2-over par at the beginning of the week the first round, I would have take it.”
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