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One of the beautiful things about The Masters is that once you figure out how to succeed at Augusta National Golf Club, you can typically replicate that success well into your career.
It’s what allowed Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods each to win a green jacket well into their 40s, and why players like Fred Couples and Berhard Langer have both had success at the course into their 50s and even 60s.
The same can be said of two-time Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal. Olazabal, 60, won at Augusta in both 1993 and 1999, and led the 2026 tournament early on Thursday morning after a pair of birdies on the second and third holes.
Eventually, Olazabal’s round came apart, and he currently sits well down the leaderboard at 2-over. But that wasn’t until after a potential rules violation that seemingly went uncalled.
Video Shows Jose Maria Olazabal Got Away With Rules Violation At The Masters
After hitting his drive on the par-5, second hole well right into the pine straw, Olazabal found himself in a tough spot between a pair of trees.
During a practice backswing, Olazabal appeared to clip a tree behind, moving a branch and knocking leaves off the tree. He went on to punch out into the fairway and made birdie on the hole.
Olazabal is currently leading the Masters, but somehow didn’t get penalized for improving the area of his swing on the 2nd hole. Am I missing something? Thoughts on this @NoLayingUp ? @TheMasters pic.twitter.com/XCYMsNoX9M
— Chandler Withington (@cwithington22) April 9, 2026
Rule 8.1a of the official rules of golf states that “a player must not take any of these actions if they improve the conditions affecting the stroke:
(1) Move, bend or break any:
- Growing or attached natural object.
- Immovable obstruction, integral object or boundary object, or
- Tee-marker for the teeing area when playing a ball from that teeing area.
Olazabal’s swing very clearly violated the first part of that rule pertaining to “growing or attached natural object(s).”
The penalty for the swing should have been one stroke added to his score. However, no penalty was called at the time either by Olazabal, his playing partners, or the on-course rules official.
Some fans argued that the falling leaves did not improve the area of his intended swing. However, that determination sits in a gray area within the rules.
So, you be the judge. Should Olazabal have called a penalty on himself?