Ballesteros was seen by many as the man who pioneered European golf overseas, and his legendary status was secured following a glittering career during which he won the hearts of golf fans around the world. All in all Seve won an astonishing 87 titles in his career that included two US Masters titles and three Open Championships. He was also the first ever European to win at Augusta. On top of his individual triumphs, Seve played in eight Ryder Cups, claiming 20 points from 37 matches. He also captained a successful European side on his home soil when the Ryder Cup visited Valderamma.
As impressive as his achievements are, it is impossible to do Seve justice by just focusing on tournaments won and records set. Equally important was manner in which he played the game. He was a man who turned a sport based on accuracy, repetition and consistency into what it should be: a matter of bravery, creativity and risk. Seve was loved by so many because he was seen as a genius. His creative brilliance was repeatedly called upon to overpower the more erratic parts of his game and it did so time and time again in truly swashbuckling style.
Following this devastating loss, we have seen fit to celebrate this golf legend by taking a look at the great Seve moments that brought joy to so many around the world.
Open Championship 1984
More than any other golfer before or since, Seve served up thrills and spills that left the golfing world in awe. His genius around the greens and ability to make birdies from places where most would settle for bogies brought joy to the world of golf. Seve’s joyful reaction to holing the winning putt on the 72nd green at the 1984 Open at St Andrews is an image that will never fade from the history books.
Car park Champion – 1979 Open Championship
At the 1979 Open Championship Seve was labelled as the car park champion. In his early years on tour Seve was a fearless player whose ball often found places on the course that are perhaps best reserved for wildlife. Seve often played a different course from the rest of the field. Such wild driving would see other players rack up bogey after bogey but that never seemed to matter to Seve. Perhaps the best example of this came at Royal Lytham when Seve’s tee shot on the 16th hole in the final round strayed so far from the fairway that he wound up playing his second from an area used as a car park for the tournament. In true Seve style he went on to birdie the hole and win comfortably by three.
Valderamma Ryder Cup – 1997
For much of the 1980’s and 90’s Ballesteros was a mainstay and often the spearhead of the European Ryder Cup team. His partnership with Jose Maria Olazabal remains the most successful l partnership in the competitions history. Fittingly, Seve was awarded the captaincy for the 1997 Ryder Cup matches, which were played on his home soil in Valderamma. In an era when American golf was much stronger than it is now, Seve inspired his players over the first two days and they held a commanding lead going into the singles on Sunday. The USA rallied but Colin Montgomerie secured the cup in the final match of the first Ryder Cup to be held in Continental Europe.
First European Masters Champion – 1980
Before Seve, the Masters at Augusta was largely dominated by players from the USA and there had never been a winner from Europe. In fact, Gary Player was the only overseas player to win the Masters before Seve came along. At the tender age of 23, Ballesteros arrived in Georgia looking to end the USA’s strangle hold on the green jacket. He went on to blitz the course and duly became the youngest ever champion and paved the way for overseas players in the USA.
Seve’s triumphs were more than just personal achievements to the world of golf. He paved the way for other Europeans to succeed where previously they had failed. He is seen as the catalyst for the current resurgence in European golf and many of the top players in the world today will testify that he was the reason for them taking up the game of golf. His swashbuckling style and infinite charm, coupled with achievements and what they stand for surely make Ballesteros the greatest European golfer of all time and one of the true greats. He will be sorely missed.
Seve…thanks for the memories.
Please not that for every booking Your Golf Travel recieves in May 2011, £1 will be donated to the Seve Foundation. We hope to raise as much as possible and have set a target of at least £10,000.
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