SAINT QUENTIN, France, (Reuters) – Spain’s Jose Maria Olazabal has decided to delay a mid-year break and will play in next week’s JP McManus Pro-Am in a strong field that includes Tiger Woods.
Olazabal, the twice U.S. Masters champion, played his first two rounds of the year at the French Open this week following more than nine months off with acute rheumatism in his shoulder and back.
The 44-year-old shot rounds of 82 and 70 on his comeback and missed the cut.
He had planned a break from the tour in order to concentrate on his fitness until September but will instead feature in the Pro-Am in Ireland on Monday and Tuesday.
“Jose Maria … got a lot of encouragement from his round of 70 yesterday,” Olazabal’s manager Sergio Gomez told Reuters on Saturday. “He was just exhausted in the first round.
“I’ve just come from the range and I don’t think I’ve seen him hitting the ball better in his career.”