Olazabal shakes off the blues as he finds his rhythm: Golf

Was it only a few days ago that Jose Maria Olazabal was saying how glad he was just to be here, glad to be enjoying playing again, that he was more relaxed and not getting so angry on the course? The Freeport McDermott Classic is being advertised under the slogan: "Rhythm and Greens", but Ollie definitely had the blues after his opening 72.

Olazabal had just missed a three-foot birdie putt at the last when he gave a fine impersonation of the highly self-critical young man who has scowled his way past reporters after many a round. With Nick Faldo slipping back into terse mode at the Players Championship, all we need to do is get Colin Montgomerie to stop smiling and Europe will have three significant contenders at Augusta. Olazabal certainly in good enough form and a 67 yesterday at English Turn put him well in contention at five under.

The Spaniard is on a startling progression - 12th, fourth and first - since returning from his 18-month layoff due to his foot injuries. He took the chance to rest his feet whenever possible but, as he has done all along, downplayed his chances of improving on his second place here three years ago. "No way," Jose actually said. If he did, how would he top his emotional tears in the Canaries? "I don't know. Maybe I'd shoot myself."

Olazabal's first birdie came at the short third and then he claimed four in a row from the eighth. He holed from 10 feet there, hit his approach to two feet at the ninth, holed from eight feet at the next and got up and down from the back of the green at the par-five 11th. The streak came to an end when he left his 18-footer at the 12th short of the cup.

A dropped shot at the 14th was immediately recovered and then he parred in. "Yesterday was so-so," Ollie said, "but today was a very nice round. It was a difficult day, with the wind blowing, but I have no complaints in any department. I drove well and that has been the weakest part of my game."

One of Olazabal's playing partners was Lanny Wadkins, the 1995 US Ryder Cup captain at Oak Hill, who birdied the last four holes to get in at six under.

Olazabal was five behind Larry Rinker and Scott McCarron, who both scored 69s as storm clouds rolled in over Louisiana from Texas. The wind increased substantially in the afternoon, which hastened the departures of Costantino Rocca and Per-Ulrik Johansson, although the latter's countryman, Jesper Parnevik beat the cut with a 69.

Greg Norman was in two bunkers at the last and took a double bogey otherwise he would have joined Olazabal at five under. "I caught a bad break because there was no sand in the fairway bunker," said the Shark after his 74. Ben Crenshaw, the '94 winner, in contrast, parred the 18th to ensure his presence over the weekend for the first time in seven tournaments this year.

While Rinker has not won on the US tour, McCarron is the defending champion and the 31-year-old California is clearly at home on this Jack Nicklaus layout. "Jack likes to hit high cut shots and so do I," McCarron said.

FREEPORT-McDERMOTT CLASSIC (English Turn, New Orleans) Early second-round scores (US unless stated): 134 L Rinker 65 69; S McCarron 65 69. 137 B Faxon 68 69; M Christie 70 67. 138 L Wadkins 69 69. 139 J M Olazabal (Sp) 72 67; N Lancaster 68 71. 140 K Triplett 72 68; D Love 69 71; B Mayfair 68 72; B Henninger 69 71. 141 B Bryant 71 70; D Waldorf

70 71; P Jacobsen 70 71; R Cochran 70 71; G Norman (Aus) 67 74. 142 R Black 71 71; M Dawson 69 73; H Sutton 72 70; P Jordan 72 70; J Kelly 69 73. 143 P Blackmar 72 71; S Lowery 72 71; J Edwards 72 71; J McGovern 74 69; S Pate 70 73; E Johnson 71 72; Y Kaneko (Japan) 69 74; B Glasson 72 72. 144 E Aubrey 74 70; M Standly 70 74; G Waite (NZ) 73 71; M Brooks 70 74. 145 L Mattiace 75 70; C Bowden 72 73; T Tryba 68 77; G Day 72 73; T Tolles 74 71; O Browne 73 72; L Silveira 67 78; A Rodriguez 72 73; R Damron 71 74; C Byrum 73 72. 146 D Stockton Jnr 70 76; J Gallagher 72 74; D Tewell 70 76; L Porter 72 74; D Hart 72 74; B Claar 74 72; J Delsing 73 73; W Grady (Aus) 73 73. 147 J Sindelar 72 75; A Magee 74 73; J Huston 70 77; L Clements 71 76; J O'Keefe 71 76; J Dowdall 70 77; S Skinner 76 71; C Sullivan 70 77; M Reid 71 76; J Wilson 74 73; S Dunlap 71 76; C Rose 73 74. 148 K Sutherland 71 77; H Royer 71 77; K Gibson 73 75. 149 B Fabel 74 75; B Wolcott 73 76; P Claxton 71 78; T Demsey 74 75; A Doyle 72 77; S Kendall 74 75; B Quigley 74 75; J Haas 76 74. 150 S Verplank 77 73. 151 Lee Rinker 76 75; R Butcher 75 76; M Wiebe 72 79. Selected: 153 P-U Johansson (Swe) 82 71.