Olly - Ryder chances gone

Spaniard still hoping to feature at next month's Masters

Last updated: 26th March 2008

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Olazabal: Injury woe

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Jose Maria Olazabal admits it is a virtual certainty that he will not feature in this summer's Ryder Cup match.

The two-time Masters champion is attempting his latest comeback having been laid low by more rheumatism problems for several months.

Olazabal has been granted an invitation to play this week's Andalucia Open at the Aloha Golf Club as he begins the long road back to full fitness.

However, he accepts his return is likely to have come too late to allow him any chance to force his way into Nick Faldo's team for Valhalla.

Faldo has already made the Spaniard one of his vice-captains for the event, although Olazabal agreed on the proviso he could stand down if he qualified.

Without a qualifying point to his name some seven months into the race for places, Olly - who won all three matches on his return to the team two years ago at the K Club - concedes that his is likely to be a watching brief this time around.

"Unless I completely recover right away and my game hits standards I haven't yet reached in my life before, as far as playing is concerned, I am out of the picture," he stated.

Having already endured an enforced 18-month break from the game in the mid-1990s with similar arthritic problems, the 42-year-old knows it will not be easy to recover a level of fitness that permits him to compete on a regular basis.

Masters aim

However, he is still hoping to tee it up at next month's Masters - an event that will forever be close to his heart - but revealed that retirement from the sport had crossed his mind repeatedly during his lowest points out injured.

"I'm going to take it on a weekly basis, test myself and see if I can cope with competition again," continued the 1994 and 1999 Augusta champion.

"If my body holds up then I will reassess my situation. I do not know whether I will be able to play a schedule in America but if I feel the pain is bearable then I'm looking at playing Houston (Open) and the Masters.

"I have missed competition. I've missed putting myself to the test.

"Did I think I couldn't play again? All last September, October, November, December. It was a similar scenario to my first problems in that respect. When you have total lack of mobility you hit bottom, for sure.

"It's been very painful, and I still don't feel great. But I'm better than I have been for the last few months, and that is a positive sign.

"If everything follows on track then that's all I am hoping for. I'm not concerned about results at the moment.

"I'm taking an injection every two months - and now I am here to see how I can cope with competition.

"My goal is just to see how my body will cope. The lower back is maybe the worst part - it gets tight as the round goes on.

"But I had therapy yesterday and will keep getting it pretty much every day. It's not reached the point where it's a problem when swinging the club - if that's the case I might not be able to keep on playing."