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VOLVO MASTERS

October 26, 2005

Jose Maria Olazabal

SOTOGRANDE, SPAIN

MARIA ACACIA: How did it go today, Jose Maria?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Fine. We just had the Pro Am day, practice round. It was very difficult out there with the wind. That's no secret to anybody. Another day where you play the course, and, you know, you see how tough it's playing.

Q. I've asked you this before, and I don't know whether you'll give me an answer; why is it that you have played so much better over the past year than from the previous years? I know you've worked with Butch Harmon, and I know you've done a few other things, but can you just refresh my memory to the significant things that you have worked with?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Well, significant things, mainly two things. I've worked on my swing, and I've spent more time in the gym this winter doing more specific work in order to be fitter and hit the ball a little longer. Those are the things. I mean, there is not any other secrets to it. Obviously you combine those two, the changes you do in your swing, if you believe in them, hard enough and you stick to it even though you might go through really tough moments. If you really believe on that, at the end of the day, you know, it should pay off.

I thought I was doing the right thing, and even though I said this year it has been a little bit inconsistent with a couple of stretches of four or five weeks in a row where, you know, I really struggled with my game, the rest has been good. I'm still in that process, anyway, and trying to get the mechanics good enough to be more consistent.

Q. In the gym, in the time you've spent in the gym, did you lose weight or did you merely strengthen?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: No, I didn't lose weight. No, I didn't lose weight. Mainly I strengthened certain muscle groups in order to be fitter. I didn't lose any weight.

Q. How much further are you hitting the ball?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: About two, three yards. (Laughter).

Q. Well, that doesn't sound like much to me, but

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: I think close to 12 yards, something in that area, ten or 12 yards.

Q. Is that for each iron or just your driver?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: No, it's just with the driver, yeah.

Q. You worked with Butch towards the end of last year, and I think and early part of this year, and are you still working with him?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: No. Actually I haven't well, I've seen him, but I'm not working with him as I used to. I'm spending more time just on my own. And I saw him, by instance, at The Masters; I saw him at the PGA; I saw him at The Open. You know, I've seen him like four, five times, but not as I used to work with him so intensively.

Q. When you say PGA, do you mean BMW?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: No, the PGA, the USPGA, sorry.

Q. How many hours in the gym for every yard?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: I haven't worked that out yet. You know, I'm not good with those things. I don't want to

Q. But you've worked very hard?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: I work. I don't know if it's hard, or I work what you have to work or I don't know how to put it. But it was no piece of cake, let's put it that way.

Q. Is it only in the last year that you've started to work in the gym?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Yes.

Q. Or did you do so before?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Well, I was in the gym, but just like jogging and stretching and things like that, not lifting weights.

Q. This is the first year you've done it?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Yeah.

Q. What are your thoughts on your schedule for next year?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Well, I haven't made my schedule yet because I don't have the calendar for both tours. So I cannot tell you right now what tournaments I'm going to play and where.

As soon as I get those, I think we're getting the schedule, we might get them this week I think. So I'm just waiting and I'll see.

But I guess somehow I will start in the States I think, because you have to play 15 events over there. I think that's one way to do it, anyway, is just to go and play there and get a few played and so you don't have to really push yourself when the pretty tough part of the season comes.

Q. So you don't anticipate necessarily a shift in balance?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: No, not really, no.

Q. How much of the improvement has come about because of your driving, because you're driving better, rather?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Well, I've always said, I've never been a driver of the ball. This year, I've been more consistent. I've been able to hit more fairways, and that's key these days. I've always said that on today's golf courses, the way they are prepared, to hit the fairway is a premium; unless, you are really, really a long, long hitter, and you have a wonderful short game. So in those cases, you might still miss fairways and still score.

But when you are not such a long hitter, you really have to hit a lot of fairways, and that is crucial these days. I mean, golf nowadays is accuracy 100%. Before, you could get away with certain shots if you had a good short game and you could do well. But nowadays, you have to hit a lot of fairways, or as many fairways as possible and a lot of greens.

Q. Where do you rank yourself amongst drivers in terms of length?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Length?

Q. Well, you're not the very longest, but are you in the middle?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Pretty much in the middle I would say. I don't consider myself a long hitter. But not a short hitter, in the middle.

End of FastScripts.

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