Olazabal hopes `great course' can hone his drive

The man was clad in classy designer denim, probably just the sort of attire that many of the stuffier golfing establishments would frown upon. But Jose Maria Olazabal - in Dublin yesterday to officially open the new MacGregor company offices at Citywest Golf Course - was evidently greatly relaxed and, claiming a bill of health that he estimates is "almost 100 per cent", the Spaniard is eagerly looking forward to this week's Murphy's Irish Open at Druids Glen.

"It's a great course, one of the best we play on the European Tour, and the back nine is really tough," said Olazabal, who especially singled out the 13th hole as deserving special mention. "It's long and very tough, but I don't think it is unfair. It's not a comfortable tee shot. It requires you to work on your drive, with the cliff to the right and the severe rough on the left, and then you also have to work on your second shot.

"Colin Montgomerie's round of 62 there last year was just astonishing, you have to take your hat off to the man."

Olazabal was intrigued with the hi-tech video equipment available to him at the MacGregor Academy yesterday, spending a considerable amount of time assessing his swing (particularly with the driver) on the TV monitor. And, indeed, that is the area which still gives him greatest concern.

"If there is a weak club in my bag, that is it," confessed Olazabal, who has made a fine recovery from the illness first diagnosed in 1995 that threatened his career and kept him off the circuit for almost 18 months. However, an indication of his recovery is that he currently lies in fifth place on the European Tour money list and his most recent visit to Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt, the Munich-based doctor who rescued his career, came two months ago after the Italian Open.

"He was very pleased with my physical condition and when I strengthen some more of the muscles in the foot he can see the day when I'm 100 per cent again. I still have some small problems in a couple of toes in my right foot but nothing like last year. I worked hard on exercises over the winter and they have paid off."

So, how close is Olazabal to the form he showed in 1994 when he won the US Masters? "My irons and chipping are pretty solid and quite close to how they were in 1994," he said, "but the way golf courses are set up these days, it is very important to drive the ball well and that is one area where I can still improve."

He continued: "For example, at the US Open at the Olympic Club I drove the ball well for three days - but didn't drive well in the second round. But you need to be a very good driver in the US Open and, although I didn't set myself any targets for the season, the majors are the ones where you always want to do well. "I always said if I had to choose one, it would be the British Open because it is the more complete major in a sense. You're not just hitting every club in the bag, but you are also hitting different types of shots and you have to use your imagination around the greens."

This week, though, Olazabal's focus is on the Irish Open, an event he won in 1990 when it was staged in Portmarnock. Last year, he finished in sixth place some 12 shots behind runaway winner Montgomerie . . . he'd love to maintain his fine form this season by going even closer this time around.

Mark McNulty will conduct a clinic during the Callaway Public Day at the Spawell Complex in Templeogue today. The schedule runs from 2.00 p.m. to 8.00 p.m. and McNulty will be available for tips and advice for two hours from four o'clock.

Johnny Reilly, who is caddie to Padraig Harrington, will continue his fund-raising activities for the Irish Guide Dog Association by selling tickets in the tented village area during this week's Irish Open at Druids Glen.