Olazabal drops to last

Jose Maria Olazabal did not look this morning like the player who has already won well over £1million already this season.

The Spanish star made the halfway cut in the Benson and Hedges International Open at The Belfry by the skin of his teeth at two over par and in his third round went to the turn in 40.

Double bogeys at the first and short seventh sent Olazabal tumbling to six over par and last of the 75 players left in.

In February, the 36-year-old won on the US tour for the first time in three years and his fourth place finish in the Masters the event he won in 1994 and 1999 has helped him to third place both on the American and European money lists.

At six over he was 12 adrift of joint halfway leaders Colin Montgomerie, Greg Owen and South African Roger Wessels.

Olazabal might have been out of the running for the title he won on the same course two years ago after Padraig Harrington had been disqualified when five clear for a scorecard blunder - but Montgomerie, Owen and Wessels had not got clean away.

Five players, including John Daly, Ian Woosnam and Peter Baker, were only a stroke behind and four more were on four under.