MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 7, 2026

Jose Maria Olazabal

Quick Quotes

Q. What's unique or what's special about Amen Corner?

JOSÉ MARÍA OLAZÁBAL: Well, Amen Corner, first of all, it's a crucial part of the golf course where the tournament can kind of slip from you. Those holes, especially 11 and 12, are extremely demanding, and then 13 is risk-reward hole where if you play well you can actually make an eagle; if it you play poorly you can make a bogey.

So that's special about Amen Corner. You can have a swing of three, four, five shots in three holes and that's what makes it special, and how difficult it is, especially with a nice weather. And we do have -- if we do have a little bit of breeze, we don't know how much the wind swirls around in that corner and it makes club selection and distance control extremely difficult.

Q. When you won here, do you ever get comfortable with a strategy for playing those holes or is comfort not a thing?

JOSÉ MARÍA OLAZÁBAL: No, comfort is not a thing here at Augusta. You don't play a single shot where you can say, well, you can relax yourself. Every single shot demands a lot, and especially in that corner as I said.

Every single shot you have to execute it to perfection if you want to go through those holes with a good score.

Q. In '99 when you made eagle on 13, what do you remember about that shot?

JOSÉ MARÍA OLAZÁBAL: Well, in those days I could reach the green in two. (Laughter.) That's the first thing that comes to mind. But it's what I said. It's a risk-reward hole. I took my gamble going for the green in two. I executed a great shot.

The difference between having a chance for an eagle or hitting it in the water is so slim, and that's why Augusta is what it is.