Seve Ballesteros

Severiano Ballesteros Sota was born in the village of Pedreña, Cantabria, Spain, on 9 April 1957, the youngest of five sons[2] of Baldomero Ballesteros Presmanes (1919–1987), who was a farm labourer, and Carmen Sota Ocejo (1919–2002).[3][4] One died in childhood, all the others became professional golfers.[2] He learned the game while playing on the beaches near his home, at the time while he was supposed to be in school, mainly using a 3-iron given to him by his older brother Manuel when he was eight years old.[5] His maternal uncle Ramón Sota was Spanish professional champion four times and finished sixth in the Masters Tournament in 1965.[6] Ballesteros' older brother Manuel finished in the top 100 on the European Tour Order of Merit every year from 1972 to 1983, and later became Ballesteros' manager. His brothers Vicente and Baldomero, and nephew Raúl are also professional golfers.[7][8][9]

Ballesteros turned professional in March 1974 at the age of 16.[10] He burst onto the international scene with a second-place finish in 1976 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club.[11] Ballesteros led by two shots after the third round, but a final round 74 saw him tie with Jack Nicklaus, six shots behind the winner Johnny Miller.[12][13] He went on to win the European Tour Order of Merit (money title) that year, a title that he would win the next two years, and six times total, a record at the time (since surpassed by Colin Montgomerie).[14] Ballesteros won his first Open Championship in 1979 with a closing 70, a round in which he famously hit his tee shot into a car park on the 16th hole yet still made a birdie.[15]

Ballesteros went on to win five major championships: the Masters Tournament in 1980 and 1983, and The Open Championship in 1979, 1984 and 1988.[14] His 1980 Masters win was the first by a European player, and at the time he was the youngest winner of the tournament, at age 23 (though this record was broken by Tiger Woods in 1997, when he was 21 years old).[16] His 1979 win at The Open Championship similarly made him the youngest winner of the tournament in the 20th century, and the first golfer from continental Europe to win a major since Frenchman Arnaud Massy won The Open in 1907.[17] Ballesteros won the rain delayed Masters in 1983 by 5 shots.[18] Ballesteros described the putt he holed on the 18th green at St Andrews to win the 1984 Open Championship as "the happiest moment of my whole sporting life."[19]

On 30 September 1983, Ballesteros joined the PGA Tour. In 1984 he played in 15 tournaments, the minimal amount allowed for a golfer with part-time membership. The following season he only played in 9 tournaments and was subsequently suspended by the PGA Tour for failing to meet his commitment.[20]

In 1988, Ballesteros won his fifth and last major title, The Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes.[21] The final round was played on Monday after torrential rain had flooded the course and forced Saturday's play to be abandoned. Ballesteros described his final round of 65 which beat Nick Price by two shots as "perhaps the best round of my entire career."[22]

For much of the 1980s and 1990s, Ballesteros was a mainstay of the European Ryder Cup team. He scored 22½ points in 37 matches against the United States; his partnership with fellow Spaniard José María Olazábal was the most successful in the history of the competition, with 11 wins and two halved matches out of 15 pairs matches.[23] While Ballesteros was a member of European sides that won the Ryder Cup in 1985, retained the Cup in 1987 and 1989, and regained the Cup in 1995, the pinnacle of his career in the competition came in 1997, when he captained the winning European side at Valderrama Golf Club in Sotogrande, Spain. This was the first Ryder Cup ever held in continental Europe.[24][25]

Ballesteros led the Official World Golf Ranking for a total of 61 weeks in the period from their inauguration (in April 1986) to September 1989, including being world number one at the end of the 1988 season.[26] He also led McCormack's World Golf Rankings, published in McCormack's "World Of Professional Golf" annuals (from which the official rankings were developed) in 1983, 1984 and 1985.[27] He was ever-present in the end of season world's top ten according to those rankings for fifteen years, from 1977 to 1991 inclusive.

In 1999, Ballesteros was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.[28] He was instrumental in introducing the Seve Trophy in 2000, a team competition similar to the Ryder Cup pitting a team from Great Britain and Ireland against one from continental Europe.[29][30] In 2000, Ballesteros was ranked as the 16th greatest golfer of all time by Golf Digest magazine; he was the top golfer from the continent of Europe.[31]

Ballesteros had played sparingly since the late 1990s because of back problems, and made his first start in years at the 2005 Madrid Open.[32] He stated a desire to play more tournaments in the 2006 season. He entered the 2006 Open Championship, having played just one other event on the European Tour, The Open de France Alstom, where he missed the cut. He ran a thriving golf course design business and had been eligible for the Champions Tour and European Seniors Tour upon turning 50 in 2007.[33] Ballesteros had been the captain of the European team in the Royal Trophy since its inception in 2006.[34] He was announced again as non-playing captain of the 2008 European team to defend the Royal Trophy against the Asian team at the Amata Spring Country Club in Bangkok.[35][36]

After further recurrences of his back problems, which contributed to his finishing tied for last in his only Champions Tour start, Ballesteros announced his retirement from golf on 16 July 2007, bringing down the curtain on an illustrious career.[37] During the news conference, he also addressed reports in European media that he had attempted suicide, saying that those reports "were not even close to reality". He had been briefly hospitalized when he became concerned about the condition of his heart, but was released the same day after being given a clean bill of health.[38]

Ballesteros was a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy.[39] He had become involved in European golf course design in his later years, most famously altering the 17th hole at Valderrama before the 1997 Ryder Cup.[40]

Ballesteros was married to Carmen Botín O'Shea, daughter of Emilio Botín, from 1988 until their divorce in 2004, in the municipality of Marina de Cudeyo in Cantabria. The couple had three children, Javier, Miguel and Carmen.[41] The marriage was said to have run into trouble when Ballesteros could not accept the fact his career was on the wane.[42]

At Madrid-Barajas Airport on 6 October 2008, Ballesteros lost consciousness and was admitted to hospital.[43][44] Six days later, he confirmed that he had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour.[45] On 15 October, Spanish news agency EFE reported that he had undergone a 12-hour operation to resect the tumour, the first of four operations he would have. A hospital spokeswoman stated that surgeons had removed a sizable part of the tumour.[46] On 23 October, it was confirmed publicly that the tumour was classified as a cancerous oligoastrocytoma, and after a rapid deterioration of his health, further surgery took place on 24 October to stabilize him and try to remove the remainder of the tumour.[47][48] On 24 October, it was confirmed that the tumour had been removed after a 6½-hour operation. On 3 November, it was confirmed by the hospital that he was starting his rehabilitation in the intensive care unit, and was breathing steadily. On 18 November, he was moved out of the intensive care unit and changed wards at Madrid's La Paz Hospital to continue his rehabilitation.[49]

Ballesteros was discharged from hospital on 9 December 2008.[50] He then returned home to northern Spain and underwent chemotherapy treatment as an outpatient.[51] In January 2009, a message on his website said he had responded well to one course of chemotherapy.[52]

"I am very motivated and working hard although I am aware that my recovery will be slow and therefore I need to be patient and have a lot of determination. For these reasons I am following strictly all the instructions that the doctors are giving me. Besides, the physiotherapists are doing a great job on me and I feel better every day."

Ballesteros completed a second course of chemotherapy at Madrid's La Paz Hospital in February 2009. Speaking through his website he said, "The results of the check-up were really positive, better even than the first ones." He finished a third round of treatment in March 2009,[53] and completed his fourth and final course of chemotherapy a month later.[54]

In June, Ballesteros made his first public appearance after treatment for the brain tumour. He said it was a "miracle" to be alive and he thanked everyone who had been involved in his care and welfare.[55]

At his first public appearance, Ballesteros announced the launch of the "Seve Ballesteros Foundation". This foundation was set up to help those with cancer fight it. The foundation aims to research cancer, especially brain tumours, but it will also help financially challenged young golfers, so they might be as successful as he.[56]

On 6 May 2011, Ballesteros' family released a statement announcing that his neurological condition had "suffered a severe deterioration".[57] He died within hours of the announcement in the early hours of 7 May 2011 at the age of 54; his older brother Baldomero confirmed the precise time of death at 2:10 am CEST.[58]

The Open de España was underway when Ballesteros died. The European Tour marked his death with a moment of silence during the third round at the Real Club de Golf El Prat in Barcelona.[59]

Tiger Woods described Ballesteros as "one of the most talented and exciting golfers to ever play the game". Lee Westwood said of Ballesteros, "Seve made European golf what it is today".[60]

Phil Mickelson, who won the 2010 Masters Tournament, selected a Spanish themed menu for the 2011 Masters Champions Dinner in honour of Ballesteros, who was too ill to attend. Entrees included seafood paella and machango-topped filet mignon, with a salad course, asparagus, and tortillas as sides, plus ice cream-topped apple empanada for dessert.[61]

At the Madrid Open tennis tournament, a moment of silence was held prior to the semi-final match between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Nadal, a close friend of Ballesteros, was seen wiping away tears as he watched the video screen.[62]

On 8 May, at 15:08 EST, the three major U.S. men's tours stopped play and held a moment of silence.[63]

On 10 May, the Irish Independent said of him: "He spoke many other languages too: the dialects of honour, of dignity, of sportsmanship, of decency, of fair play, of loyalty, of integrity, and in the end, of dauntless, unforgettable, astonishing courage. Quite simply, there has never been a finer ambassador for either his sport or his country."[64]

A funeral service was held for Ballesteros at the parish church of San Pedro, in his home village of Pedreña.[65] Due to the number of those in attendance, several big screens were installed outside the 400-capacity church.[66] His ashes were then to be scattered at his home estate.[67]

The day of Ballesteros' death, the Spanish flag was raised at the World Golf Hall of Fame in Florida, the United States flag was lowered to half-staff, a photo of Ballesteros was hung in the box office, and a black ribbon was hung on the outside of his locker.[68] The next weekend, at nearby TPC Sawgrass, the Spanish flag was flown at half-staff during the 2011 Players Championship at the request of defending champion Tim Clark, in place of his native South African flag.[69][70] Clark went on to state, "Seve was a hero of mine growing up...In losing [him] last week, I think the whole golfing world is saddened by that. To have his flag up here is just a small little tribute to him. Obviously he deserves a whole lot more."[71][72][73]

The 2012 Ryder Cup, the first to be played after Ballesteros' death, saw the European team wearing navy blue and white garments on the final day in memory of Seve, who traditionally wore navy blue on the last day of a tournament.[74] Additionally, the team's kit also bore the silhouette of Ballesteros after his win at the 1984 Open Championship.[75][76] The Irish golfer Pádraig Harrington, Nick Faldo, and other European players proposed that the PGA replace the image of Harry Vardon on the European Tour's official logo with one of Ballesteros (a silhouette of the iconic image of Ballesteros' "salute", following his win at the 1984 Open Championship).[77][78]

The airport of Ballesteros' homeland, Cantabria, has been named after him since the Spanish Government approved the change on 16 April 2015.[79] The name was changed from Santander Airport to Seve Ballesteros – Santander Airport. This change was made after the regional parliament unanimously approved a petition in May 2014. The motivation behind this popular initiative was to honor Ballesteros for being one of the most universal of Cantabrians and an example in sports and life.[80][81]

In 2017, the European Tour Players' Player of the Year award was renamed in his honour. The first recipient of The Seve Ballesteros Award was Henrik Stenson.[82]

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	2 Apr 1978	Greater Greensboro Open	−6 (72-75-69-66=282)	1 stroke	Jack Renner, Fuzzy Zoeller
2	21 Jul 1979	The Open Championship	−1 (73-65-75-70=283)	3 strokes	Ben Crenshaw, Jack Nicklaus
3	13 Apr 1980	Masters Tournament	−13 (66-69-68-72=275)	4 strokes	Gibby Gilbert, Jack Newton
4	11 Apr 1983	Masters Tournament (2)	−8 (68-70-73-69=280)	4 strokes	Ben Crenshaw, Tom Kite
5	12 Jun 1983	Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic	−8 (69-67-70-70=276)	2 strokes	Andy Bean, Craig Stadler
6	22 Jul 1984	The Open Championship (2)	−12 (69-68-70-69=276)	2 strokes	Bernhard Langer, Tom Watson
7	17 Mar 1985	USF&G Classic	−11 (68-69-68=205)*	2 strokes	Peter Jacobsen, John Mahaffey
8	12 Jun 1988	Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic (2)	−8 (72-68-69-67=276)	Playoff	David Frost, Ken Green, Greg Norman
9	17 Jul 1988	The Open Championship (3)	−11 (67-71-70-65=273)	2 strokes	Nick Price

*Note: The 1985 USF&G Classic was reduced to 54 holes due to inclement weather.[83]

PGA Tour playoff record (1–2)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1987	Masters Tournament	Larry Mize, Greg Norman	Mize won with birdie on second extra hole Ballesteros eliminated with par on first hole
2	1987	Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic	J. C. Snead	Lost to par on first extra hole
3	1988	Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic	David Frost, Ken Green, Greg Norman	Won with birdie on first extra hole

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	8 Aug 1976	Dutch Open	−13 (65-73-68-69=275)	8 strokes	Howard Clark
2	8 May 1977	French Open	−6 (69-70-71-72=282)	3 strokes	John Bland, Antonio Garrido, Manuel Piñero, Ian Stanley
3	25 Jun 1977	Uniroyal International Championship	−12 (70-70-67-69=276)	Playoff	Nick Faldo
4	17 Jul 1977	Swiss Open	−7 (68-66-70-69=273)	3 strokes	John Schroeder
5	21 May 1978	Martini International	−14 (67-67-67-69=270)	5 strokes	Nick Faldo
6	30 Jul 1978	Braun German Open	−20 (64-67-70-67=268)	2 strokes	Neil Coles
7	6 Aug 1978	Scandinavian Enterprise Open	−9 (73-69-68-69=279)	1 stroke	Dale Hayes
8	3 Sep 1978	Swiss Open (2)	−8 (68-68-68-68=272)	3 strokes	Manuel Piñero
9	1 Jul 1979	Lada English Golf Classic	−2 (73-71-71-71=286)	6 strokes	Neil Coles, Simon Hobday
10	21 Jul 1979	The Open Championship	−1 (73-65-75-70=283)	3 strokes	Ben Crenshaw, Jack Nicklaus
11	13 Apr 1980	Masters Tournament	−13 (66-69-68-72=275)	4 strokes	Gibby Gilbert, Jack Newton
12	27 Apr 1980	Madrid Open	−18 (68-63-70-69=270)	3 strokes	Manuel Piñero
13	18 May 1980	Martini International (2)	−2 (74-75-67-70=286)	1 stroke	Brian Barnes
14	27 Jul 1980	Dutch Open (2)	−8 (69-75-65-71=280)	3 strokes	Sandy Lyle
15	5 Jul 1981	Scandinavian Enterprise Open (2)	−11 (69-70-68-66=273)	5 strokes	Antonio Garrido
16	4 Oct 1981	Benson and Hedges Spanish Open	−15 (71-67-70-65=273)	1 stroke	Steve Martin
17	25 Apr 1982	Cepsa Madrid Open (2)	−15 (70-69-66-68=273)	1 stroke	José María Cañizares
18	9 May 1982	Paco Rabanne Open de France (2)	−10 (71-70-72-65=278)	4 strokes	Sandy Lyle
19	11 Apr 1983	Masters Tournament (2)	−8 (68-70-73-69=280)	4 strokes	Ben Crenshaw, Tom Kite
20	30 May 1983	Sun Alliance PGA Championship	−10 (69-71-67-71=278)	2 strokes	Ken Brown
21	14 Aug 1983	Carroll's Irish Open	−17 (67-67-70-67=271)	2 strokes	Brian Barnes
22	2 Oct 1983	Trophée Lancôme	−19 (71-65-64-69=269)	4 strokes	Corey Pavin
23	22 Jul 1984	The Open Championship (2)	−12 (69-68-70-69=276)	2 strokes	Bernhard Langer, Tom Watson
24	23 Jun 1985	Carroll's Irish Open (2)	−10 (70-69-73-66=278)	Playoff	Bernhard Langer
25	7 Jul 1985	Peugeot Open de France (3)	−21 (62-68-64-69=263)	2 strokes	Sandy Lyle
26	22 Sep 1985	Sanyo Open	−16 (66-70-65-71=272)	3 strokes	Jeff Hawkes
27	27 Oct 1985	Benson and Hedges Spanish Open (2)	−14 (67-68-65-66=266)	4 strokes	Gordon Brand Jnr
28	8 Jun 1986	Dunhill British Masters	−13 (67-68-70-70=275)	2 strokes	Gordon Brand Jnr
29	22 Jun 1986	Carroll's Irish Open (3)	−3 (68-75-68-74=285)	2 strokes	Rodger Davis, Mark McNulty
30	28 Jun 1986	Johnnie Walker Monte Carlo Open	−11 (66-71-64-64=265)	2 strokes	Mark McNulty
31	7 Jul 1986	Peugeot Open de France (4)	−19 (65-66-69-69=269)	2 strokes	Vicente Fernández
32	27 Jul 1986	KLM Dutch Open (3)	−17 (69-63-71-68=271)	8 strokes	José Rivero
33	19 Oct 1986	Trophée Lancôme (2)	−14 (67-69-68-70=274)	Shared title with Bernhard Langer
34	19 Apr 1987	Suze Open	−13 (69-70-68-68=275)	Playoff	Ian Woosnam
35	13 Mar 1988	Mallorca Open de Baleares	−16 (70-68-67-67=272)	6 strokes	José María Olazábal
36	17 Jul 1988	The Open Championship (3)	−11 (67-71-70-65=273)	2 strokes	Nick Price
37	31 Jul 1988	Scandinavian Enterprise Open (3)	−18 (67-70-66-67=270)	5 strokes	Gerry Taylor
38	28 Aug 1988	Volvo German Open (2)	−21 (68-68-65-62=263)	5 strokes	Gordon Brand Jnr
39	18 Sep 1988	Trophée Lancôme (3)	−15 (64-66-68-71=269)	4 strokes	José María Olazábal
40	23 Apr 1989	Cepsa Madrid Open (3)	−16 (67-67-69-69=272)	1 stroke	Howard Clark
41	7 May 1989	Epson Grand Prix of Europe Matchplay Championship	4 & 3		Denis Durnian
42	3 Sep 1989	Ebel European Masters Swiss Open (3)	−14 (65-68-66-67=266)	2 strokes	Craig Parry
43	11 Mar 1990	Open Renault de Baleares (2)	−19 (66-65-70-68=269)	Playoff	Magnus Persson
44	27 May 1991	Volvo PGA Championship (2)	−17 (67-69-65-70=271)	Playoff	Colin Montgomerie
45	2 Jun 1991	Dunhill British Masters (2)	−13 (66-66-68-75=275)	3 strokes	Eamonn Darcy, David Gilford, Tony Johnstone, Sam Torrance, Keith Waters
46	9 Feb 1992	Dubai Desert Classic	−16 (66-67-69-70=272)	Playoff	Ronan Rafferty
47	8 Mar 1992	Turespaña Open de Baleares (3)	−11 (70-70-69-68=277)	Playoff	Jesper Parnevik
48	8 May 1994	Benson & Hedges International Open	−7 (69-70-72-70=281)	3 strokes	Nick Faldo
49	3 Oct 1994	Mercedes German Masters	−18 (68-70-65-67=270)	Playoff	Ernie Els, José María Olazábal
50	21 May 1995	Peugeot Spanish Open (3)	−14 (70-67-66-71=274)	2 strokes	Ignacio Garrido, José Rivero

*Ballesteros and Langer agreed to share the 1986 Trophée Lancôme after failing light caused play to halt after four holes of a playoff.

European Tour playoff record (8–4–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1977	Uniroyal International Championship	Nick Faldo	Won with birdie on first extra hole
2	1983	Italian Open	Ken Brown, Bernhard Langer	Langer won with birdie on second extra hole Ballesteros eliminated by par on first hole
3	1984	Trophée Lancôme	Sandy Lyle	Lost to birdie on first extra hole
4	1985	Carroll's Irish Open	Bernhard Langer	Won with birdie on second extra hole
5	1986	Trophée Lancôme	Bernhard Langer	Playoff abandoned after four holes due to darkness; tournament shared
6	1987	Masters Tournament	Larry Mize, Greg Norman	Mize won with birdie on second extra hole Ballesteros eliminated by par on first hole
7	1987	Suze Open	Ian Woosnam	Won with par on first extra hole
8	1990	Open Renault de Baleares	Magnus Persson	Won with par on first extra hole
9	1991	Peugeot Spanish Open	Eduardo Romero	Lost to birdie on seventh extra hole
10	1991	Volvo PGA Championship	Colin Montgomerie	Won with birdie on first extra hole
11	1992	Dubai Desert Classic	Ronan Rafferty	Won with birdie on second extra hole
12	1992	Turespaña Open de Baleares	Jesper Parnevik	Won with birdie on sixth extra hole
13	1994	Mercedes German Masters	Ernie Els, José María Olazábal	Won with birdie on first extra hole

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	20 Nov 1977	Japan Open Golf Championship	E (69-72-72-71=284)	1 stroke	Takashi Murakami
2	27 Nov 1977	Dunlop Phoenix Tournament	−6 (68-70-73-71=282)	1 stroke	Kikuo Arai
3	5 Nov 1978	Japan Open Golf Championship (2)	−7 (68-67-71-75=281)	Playoff	Graham Marsh
4	22 Nov 1981	Dunlop Phoenix Tournament (2)	−9 (72-66-69-72=279)	3 strokes	Tsuneyuki Nakajima
5	13 Nov 1988	Visa Taiheiyo Club Masters	−7 (71-71-68-71=281)	3 strokes	Yasuhiro Funatogawa
6	5 May 1991	The Crowns	−5 (67-75-64-69=275)	1 stroke	Roger Mackay

Japan Golf Tour playoff record (1–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1978	Japan Open Golf Championship	Graham Marsh	Won with birdie on first extra hole
2	1991	Dunlop Phoenix Tournament	Isao Aoki, Jay Don Blake, Larry Nelson	Nelson won with par on fourth extra hole Ballesteros eliminated by birdie on third hole Blake eliminated by par on first hole

• 1974 Spanish National Championship for under 25s, Open de Vizcaya
• 1975 Spanish National Championship for under 25s
• 1976 Memorial Donald Swaelens, Cataluña Championship, Tenerife Championship, Lancome Trophy, World Cup of Golf (with Manuel Piñero)
• 1977 Braun International Golf (Germany), World Cup of Golf (with Antonio Garrido)
• 1978 Spanish National Championship for under 25s
• 1979 Open el Prat
• 1981 Suntory World Match Play Championship
• 1982 Masters de San Remo (Italy), Suntory World Match Play Championship
• 1983 Million Dollar Challenge (South Africa)
• 1984 Suntory World Match Play Championship, Million Dollar Challenge (South Africa)
• 1985 Spanish Professional Closed Championship,[84] Suntory World Match Play Championship, Campeonato de España-Codorniu
• 1987 Spanish Professional Closed Championship[84]
• 1988 APG Larios
• 1991 Toyota World Match Play Championship
• 1992 Copa Quinto Centenario por Equipos
• 1995 Tournoi Perrier de Paris (with José María Olazábal)

CUT = missed the half-way cut
DQ = disqualified
"T" = tied

• Most consecutive cuts made – 10 (1984 U.S. Open – 1986 Open Championship)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 4 (1984 Open Championship – 1985 U.S. Open)