THE MASTERS : Olazabal Revives Reign of Spain : Golf: After barely falling short of victory in 1991, he eagles No. 15 to win the title by two shots over Lehman.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — The Masters is not won by rookies or conquered by the inexperienced. It’s as if the Augusta National golf course must tear at your heart, rip at your soul, before allowing you a place in its trophy case.

On a sunny, windless day in golf’s playground of tradition, Jose Maria Olazabal received such vindication. He battled the final 10 holes with two quite different opponents. There was Larry Mize, who has felt that indescribable feeling of being a Masters champion. And Tom Lehman, whose career has been marked by failure.

Olazabal effectively won the tournament Sunday when he eagled the 15th hole with an improbable 30-foot putt, as Lehman was staring at a possible eagle from 15 feet. Olazabal could easily have taken a penalty stroke on that third shot because his second shot came within a foot of landing in the water. Instead, as if held up by some unseen force, the ball stayed on the bank and kept Olazabal’s dream of winning the Masters from drowning.

Olazabal has felt the heartbreak of losing the Masters before. In 1991, he approached the 18th tee on the final day tied with Ian Woosnam and Tom Watson. Olazabal’s tee shot landed in the bunker and his chances of victory lay buried in the sand. He bogeyed the hole and Watson double-bogeyed, leaving Woosnam the winner.

On Sunday, Olazabal tried on occasion to give the tournament to Lehman, but he wouldn’t accept the gift. Meanwhile, Mize’s game simply was missing, and you can’t miss on these finishing holes. Nonetheless, it provided the high drama that the final round of the Masters usually does.

Olazabal entered Sunday’s round one shot behind Lehman and one in front of Mize. When the day ended, Olazabal’s 69 was good enough for a four-day total of 279, nine under. Lehman shot a 72 and finished at seven under, and Mize’s 71 left him at six under.

Tom Kite, never a factor in Sunday’s round, finished with a 71 and 283, while Jay Haas (69), Loren Roberts (70) and Jim McGovern (72) were at 285.

“There are no words in a special moment like this,” Olazabal said. “You can’t describe how you feel. It’s quite different (than how I dreamed it would feel.) It’s that much better.”

The showdown started when Olazabal birdied the par-five eighth hole after two-putting from 30 feet. He, Mize and Lehman were all at eight under, with Mize playing in the group ahead of Olazabal and Lehman.

The three remained tied until Mize hit his ball over the 12th green and missed a four-foot putt for par. Lehman also lost a stroke on 12, when he, too, flew the green and missed a nine-foot putt for par.

Mize was on the par-five 13th green in two and settled for a birdie to move him back to eight under and a share of the lead. Then, Olazabal’s tee shot on 13 went into the trees, landing on a patch of pine needles. He had no chance of making the green in two.

Olazabal studied his shot and proceeded to clean some of the pine needles from around his ball as if he were playing a game of pick-up sticks. It was a tricky move because if the ball had moved, he would have been assessed a penalty stroke.

Finally, he laid up out of the trees while Lehman blasted his second shot over the green. Olazabal chipped on to the green and got his par while Lehman struggled from behind the green and also settled for a par.

Mize bogeyed the 14th and parred the 15th, effectively taking him out of contention.

Olazabal and Lehman exchanged pars on the 14th. Then, Olazabal took control. His second shot barely stayed out of the water, while Lehman placed his 15 feet from the pin. Olazabal made his putt, Lehman didn’t, barely missing to the side of the cup.

“When (Olazabal) made that putt, it just motivated me to make mine,” Lehman said. “I was actually pretty shocked when mine didn’t go in. . . . It was a shot in the heart.”

Lehman got his birdie, but it was little consolation. Olazabal was now 10 under and Lehman was at eight under.

Olazabal tried to let Lehman back in tournament when he bogeyed the 17th after his putt from off the green got caught in the grass and stopped six feet short of the cup. He missed the putt and took a one-stroke lead to the 72nd hole.

“After the 16th hole, I thought that this is the best chance I have to win the tournament,” Olazabal said. “After the 17th, I said, ‘I better be careful now.’ ”

Lehman, hitting first on 18, killed the suspense when he sent his one-iron off the tee into the left fairway bunker. His second shot was a seven-iron that landed 30 feet short of the green. Olazabal struggled, too, when his second shot flew well past the green into the gallery, but by then Lehman had taken himself out of the tournament.

“All week long I was hitting a driver into the big bunker,” Lehman said. “Today I hit my one-iron 265 yards into the bunker; normally I hit a one-iron 240 yards. I didn’t think I would go in the bunker . . . if I had to do it again, I’d hit a one-iron again.”

Olazabal’s Masters victory was the second by a player from Spain. The firstwas by Seve Ballesteros, who won in 1980 and ’83. Ballesteros shot a 71 on Sunday and finished at 292 and in a tie for 18th.

Before Ballesteros went to the tee, he gave a note of encouragement to Olazabal.

“It was a good note . . . I plan to save it,” Olazabal said, coyly refusing to reveal the contents.

“Up to now, Seve was everything when it came to golf in Spain,” Olazabal said. “Now, it would be nice if I could help Seve with golf in Spain. . . . But just because I won a Masters, doesn’t mean you can compare me to Seve. He’s one of the best players in the world.”

Olazabal isn’t so bad, either.

Sunday was his 19th victory worldwide and third on the U.S. Tour, joining the 1990 World Series of Golf and the 1991 International. He has played on four Ryder Cup teams.

He was undecided on his next U.S. appearance before Sunday.

“I think I’ll play in the U.S. Open now,” he said. “Maybe a tournament or two before it, also.”

As for Lehman, maybe the pain and heartbreak he felt Sunday will someday be repaid by Augusta National. It was for Olazabal.