ZANDVOORT, Holland (PA) -- Jose Maria Olazabal, Nick Faldo's assistant captain at next month's Ryder Cup, could soon be resuming his playing career.

The two-time Masters champion has not competed since losing a playoff in the British Open Championship qualifier at Sunningdale seven weeks ago.

Olazabal has been suffering from extreme fatigue, possibly as a result of medication prescribed to combat the rheumatism that kept him out of action from last August until March.

Manager Sergio Gomez has countered rumors the Spaniard's health had seriously deteriorated, rumors he said had even prompted a call from Faldo.

"Jose has stopped taking the medication and all the blood tests and scans and everything are saying that he is in very good shape regarding the illness itself," he stated Thursday. "He is back practicing and hoping to enter a tournament before the Ryder Cup."

Olazabal and Paul McGinley, both members of the winning 2006 European team, were named in May of 2007 as Faldo's two assistants, but then McGinley resigned because he wanted to focus on trying to play his way onto the team.

Eleven months on from that decision, Faldo has still to announce who might also be with him. It could, of course, be McGinley as he is way down the points table with only two tournaments left.

Ian Woosnam, captain at The K Club in 2006, felt he needed six people assisting.

"I would say Nick Faldo needs more people to be out there in America helping him," said Woosnam at Slaley Hall, where he is competing on the European Senior Tour this week. "I don't know how he will cope -- he'll find out, I guess. He's got the experience -- he should know all that. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.

"He may want to see who is in the side after he has made his wild-card choices and maybe he wants some of the other older players not in the team to come in and be vice-captains," he explained. "But sometimes if you have missed the Ryder Cup, you don't want to be a vice-captain.

"Say he does not pick Colin Montgomerie," Woosnam said. "I would think you can't really expect Colin to come in and be a vice-captain."

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