Four play leaves Olazabal with a headache

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Had the Ryder Cup team evolved this year rather than last, Jose Maria Olazabal would probably have made it without breaking sweat. Despite the fact he has spent more time in America than in San Sebastian, the Spaniard was lying third in the Volvo Order of Merit with almost £520,000 from only five appearances. His worst finish had been six, but all that changed yesterday when Olazabal squandered almost as many shots on one hole as he had all season.

On the shortest hole at The Belfry's Brabazon course, the 177-yard seventh, Olazabal found the green all right with his tee shot but then took four putts to get the ball in the hole. "I don't do that very often,'' he said. "I think I four- putted once before but I can't remember when.''

Olazabal, fourth in the Masters at Augusta last month, finished with a 77 that contained two double-bogeys, three bogeys and two birdies. "It was a lovely day,'' he said. "The sun was shining, the birds were singing, but my golf was f***ing awful. What can I say? It's been a tough week for whatever reason. Maybe I am a little tired. I didn't feel as if I hit it that badly but I've really struggled on the greens. After the seventh I relaxed and took my medicine.''

The prize fund here is £1.1 million but the next two events on the European Tour are even more lucrative. Tiger Woods next week defends the Deutsche Bank Open TPC of Europe in Heidelberg (a share of the bank would just about guarantee the appearance of the world No 1) and that is followed by another flagship tournament, the Volvo PGA at Wentworth.

"I'm going to have next week off,'' Olazabal said. "I'm going home to recharge my batteries. I wasn't going to play seven in a row and if I had to choose between the TPC and the Volvo PGA I'd choose PGA without question.''

His decision, of course, has nothing to do with the fact that a couple of years ago at the Deutsche Bank Open, Woods was whisked around by the sponsors in a Maserati while poor old Olly had to slum it with the rest in a coach, albeit one with all the mod cons.

At seven over par here for the championship, Olazabal will probably receive his smallest cheque of the season. "This might not be the best prize money-wise,'' he said. "But it's well organised and they treat us really well.''

Prior to yesterday Olazabal had fond memories of The Belfry. It was here that he won the Benson and Hedges in 2000 when Padraig Harrington was disqualified for not signing his card, and in the Ryder Cup Olly and Seve Ballesteros often performed a memorable Spanish twostep.

Olazabal, however, will not be on duty when Europe to take on the Americans here in September in the match postponed for 12 months following the attack on New York.

Sam Torrance, Europe's captain, will have Ian Woosnam, Mark James and Joakim Haeggman assisting him, but Olazabal will be nowhere to be seen. "Sam asked me if I wanted to be here with him but I declined the invitation,'' Olazabal said. "It would have been tough for me to be here and not play. That's the reason I declined. Joakim is a Swede and there are a few Swedes in the team so that might come in handy. Most probably I'll watch the Ryder Cup at home on television. We should prepare the golf course in our favour – simple as that. That's what they do when we play over there.''

Olazabal can hardly forget the last time the match was played in America, at Brookline, near Boston in 1999. After his opponent, Justin Leonard, had sunk a huge putt on the 17th in the singles on the final day, maintaining an extraordinary US charge, the green was invaded with Olazabal yet to putt. In their excitement they thought it was all over and they were not far wrong.

Asked if he would like to captain Europe in the future, Olazabal replied: "Bloody hell, I'm only 36. I know I've got a few white hairs but not that many.''