The morning of Saturday 7th May brought with it the sad news of the death of one of sport’s great personalities. Seve Ballesteros, who lit up the golfing world in the 1970s and 1980s in a glittering career that saw him win five majors and 87 professional titles, succumbed to his long battle against a brain tumour at the age of just 54.In the most successful career of any modern European golfer, Ballesteros won three Open Championships, two Green Jackets and was ranked as World Number One for a total of 61 weeks, becoming the first player to hold the title when official rankings were introduced in 1986.
Despite his somewhat erratic driving style, Ballesteros was renowned for his sublime short game: his delicate touch, vision and inventive shot selection so often got him out of trouble, including most famously when in the course of winning his first major, Ballesteros made birdie on the 16th hole despite hitting his tee shot into a car park.
But it is more than his sheer brilliant talent by which people will remember him – his vibrant personality and joyous attitude to both golf and life set him apart from his fellow professionals. Jack Nicklaus paid tribute to Ballesteros by saying that “Seve’s enthusiasm was just unmatched by anybody I think that ever played the game”.
Daily Telegraph: Seve was the Elvis of golf.
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