Another golfing legend commits to the MGRC

Two-time Masters champion Jose Mariz Olazabal has committed to compete in this year’s Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic, the PGA Tour Champions event announced on Wednesday.

Olazabal won the Masters in 1994 and 1999, helping him earn election into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2009.

The MGRC will take place March 30-April 2 at Fallen Oak in Saucier.

Olazabal, who joined The PGA Tour Champions this season, also served as the captain of the European Ryder Cup team that came up victorious in 2012.

This will be his first MGRC, joining fellow Hall of Famer and former Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie.

John Daly and David Toms have also committed to play in this year’s MGRC.

Due to a bout with arthritis, the 51-year-old Olazabal didn’t compete for almost two years until he played on the European Tour late last year.

“I could not walk at all,” Olazabal told the New York Times in February after returning to the course. “I think that was the lowest point.”

Olazabal took part in his first PGA Tour Champions event on Feb. 10-12 in the Allianz Championship in Boca Raton, Florida. He finished at 6-under for a tie for 41st.

Tickets for the MGRC are $15 and can be purchased online at www.2017MGRC.com or by calling the tournament office at (228) 896-6365. Children 16 and under are admitted free with a ticketed adult and all active and retired military and their families are admitted free with a military issued identification card.

This story was originally published March 8, 2017 at 2:24 PM with the headline "Another golfing legend commits to the MGRC."