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Olazabal Course at Mission Hills China

 

Jose Maria Olazabal's course at Mission Hills is his first in China. The driving design philosophy behind this course was to create a beautiful, unique, harmonious and playable course for all golfers. A strong effort was made to create a demanding tournament venue that stretches to the back tees. Olazabal's reputation as one of the game's best sand golfers is reflected with over 160 menacing bunkers. The Olazabal Course is also the longest course at Mission Hills, covering over 7,320yards.

 

Even the best of golfers will find this course a challenge. Numerous majestic vistas cropped with untouched foliage and natural running streams create outstanding backdrops throughout the course. The high, sand flashed bunkers contain a number of contoured fingers, thick grassy vertical lips and deep 'bowled' bottoms, which are sure to attract the attention of golfers as each shot is played. Golfers will often be faced with an option on how to play each hole - take the conservative and safe route, or the risk and reward route that may result in anything from an eagle to a double bogey or worse. Undeniably this is a perfect tournament venue, guaranteed to excite throughout. It has hosted for 3 editions of World Cup of Golf from 2007 to 2009.

 

For more detail: http://www.missionhillschina.com/en-US/dongguan/golf/golf_courses/olazabal_course

 

 

Who Is Jose Maria Olazabal?

 

Height: 5ft 10in (1.78m)  Born: Feb 5, 1966
Weight: 160lb
Nationality: Spainish
Turned Professional: 1985
PGA Tour Wins: 6 (including 2 times winner of Masters in 1994 and 1999)
Professional Wins: 31
   


Olazabal was born in Hondarribia, a town in the Basque Autonomous Region of Spain. He burst onto the golf scene in 1985 as a junior, winning The (British) Amateur Championship aged eighteen. Then, in his rookie professional season of 1986, he finished second on the European Tour Order of Merit aged just twenty. In his first nine seasons, he finished in the top 10 every year except two, including another second place in 1989, and he was a regular member of the top ten of the Official World Golf Rankings (over 300 weeks). He was unable to play in 1996 due to a foot injury but he recovered and recorded further top ten placings in the Order of Merit in 1997, 1999 and 2000. He has more than twenty career titles on this tour.

 

Both of Olazabal's majors have come in the United States, namely The Masters in 1994 and 1999. These wins make him the only winner of The Amateur Championship since World War II to have gone on to win a professional major.

 

He has six career PGA Tour titles, five of them won before he became a full member of the Tour. Olazabal also holds the world record distance for a completed putt. In 2009, Olazabal was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame.