JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL does not mind admitting that his return to Augusta National and the Masters next week "may be tricky to handle".
A year ago Olazabal watched the tournament he won in 1994 from his home in San Sebastian, hardly able to walk. He did not know if he would ever make it back there.
But 12 months on he is not just walking well again. He is not just playing again. He is a winner again and that means so much to the 31 year old that there were tears in his eyes when he triumphed in Gran Canaria two weeks ago.
Now he is in New Orleans, where the pre Masters Freeport McDermott Classic begins today, and that brings back its own memories.
Three years ago the Spanish player finished second on the same English Turn course and then went straight to Georgia and won his first major.
Olazabal's comeback from nearly 18 months out of the game has been simply sensational, 12th in the Dubai Desert Classic, fourth in the Portuguese Open and first in the Turespana Masters.
While Ryder Cup captain Seve Ballesteros is 30 over par for his five missed cuts in five starts, his, former cup partner is an unbelievable 41 under for his three tournaments so far.
He is not yet prepared to make any wild prediction about how he" will fare at the Masters, however. Perhaps appropriately after all hem has been through he is trying to keep his feet on the ground.
"I'm trying to be calm," said, Olazabal. "I'm trying to do the same things and think the same way. I just want to go out and play the best I can, score the best I can and enjoy it.
"I am enjoying it more I don't get so angry on the course as I used to. That's purely because it's great to play again after what I've been through. When something is taken away from you, you realise how much you love it.
"It's going to be a very special week at Augusta. After watching it on television last year, just to be there is going to bring special memories. It may be, tricky to handle it.
"Last April I was bad. You want to be there but you know you can't. You've earned the chance to be there but because of physical problems (he thought he had rheumatoid arthritis in both feet at the time) you can't."
Dr Hans Wilhelm Muller Wohlfahrt changed that diagnosis to a lower back hernia in September and Olazabal began improving almost straightaway.
When asked he should be thinking of winning a second Masters the way he has played on his return he answered: "Maybe, but I don't know what to expect.
"I just know I will enjoy the whole week the place, the atmosphere, everything."
Sam Torrance is looking for a change in fortunes as well after missing four out of five cuts this season, most recently the Players' Championship in Florida last week.
Australian Steve Elkington, winner there by a hugely impressive seven shots, is in this week's field as well, as are world number one Greg Norman, Italian Costantino Rocca and Swedes Jesper Parnevik, Per Ulrik Johansson, Gabriel Hjertstedt and Adam Mednick.
