Olazabal Has to Be Card-Sharp

Jose Maria Olazabal won the Masters in 1999, but that doesn’t do him any good this year because his five-year PGA Tour exemption for that victory ran out after last season.

Olazabal, who also won the Masters in 1994, is trying to do something about that this week as he plays the Nissan Open on a sponsor’s exemption. He shot one-over 72 Friday in the second round and is in safe position to make the cut with a two-day total of two-under 140.

“I have to rely on invitations, so there’s a little extra pressure,” Olazabal said. “I need to gain some dough so I can keep my card.”

Olazabal had only one top-10 finish last year and finished 142nd on the money list with $495,050. He would have needed an additional $128,212 to finish in the top 125 and remain fully exempt for this year.

He still has membership on the tour, but barely. Those finishing 126th to 150th on the previous year’s money list are 28th on the tour’s list of 34 exemptions. There are 245 players on tour this year with higher status -- including qualifying school and Nationwide Tour graduates -- and only nine behind him.

“It would be nice to get a couple of good finishes early to take off some of the pressure,” he said.

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Luke Donald, scheduled to tee off in the second group at 7:10 a.m. Friday, found a creative way to spend the four-hour rain delay: He grabbed a seat in Duffy Waldorf’s van and watched movies.

Donald and Waldorf, joined by Donald’s brother Christian and Waldorf’s and Carl Pettersson’s caddies, watched “School of Rock” and “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery” in Waldorf’s Chevrolet Express, which is equipped with a DVD player, a 17-inch plasma flat-screen monitor and surround-sound speakers.

“We just relaxed and got updates,” said Donald, who shot 71 Friday. “ ‘School of Rock’ was quite funny.”

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Ben Curtis has as many major championship victories as Phil Mickelson, but the 2003 British Open champion might be difficult to pick out of a lineup.

Curtis, dressed in an Oakland Raider outfit, casually strolled down the steep hill from the Riviera clubhouse toward the driving range all alone Friday afternoon. He stopped for a moment and stood behind a group of fans gathered to watch a group hit tee shots on the 10th hole before continuing on to warm up.

Nobody stopped him for an autograph during the approximately 100-yard journey, and only a few people so much as took a second glance at him.