‘Everybody was in shock': 60-year-old surprises at Masters

Jose Maria Olazabal (right) walks over a bridge during a Masters practice round on Tuesday. Getty Images AUGUSTA, Ga. — Before it was warm enough to shed long sleeves on Thursday morning at the Masters , Jose Maria Olazábal, at 60 years old, was leading the tournament.

Plodding his way around Augusta National in the third group of the day, he made a birdie on 2 and another on 3. As more players started their rounds, they still couldn’t catch Olazábal, the two-time Masters champ. Eventually, everyone started to take notice.

Olazábal did too. “Everybody was in shock,” he said, smiling, at the end of his round. “Of course, yes, I look at the leaderboard.

I saw myself 2-under par, and for a little while I said to myself, hey, I’m leading the Masters. There you go. [ Laughs ] It’s one of those things.