Seve Ballesteros

Golfer

• Born: April 9, 1957
• Birthplace: Pedreña, Spain
• Died: May 7, 2011
• Place of death: Pedreña, Spain

Sport: Golf

Early Life

Severiano Ballesteros was born in Pedreña, Spain, on April 9, 1957. Golf was a part of his heritage. Several of his older brothers were professional golfers, and an uncle, Ramon Sota, was one of the most famous Spanish golfers. Although Seve’s father, a dairy farmer, was not a professional athlete, he had been a famous oarsman in his youth.

Seve found a convenient place to develop his golfing talent. His home was next door to the Real Pedreña golf course, which had been built in 1929 on orders from King Alfonso XIII. From an early age, Seve was determined to become a topflight golfer. The stories his uncle Ramon told him about international competition entranced him. His uncle had competed in The Masters in the United States, and Seve wished to equal—and, if possible, to better—his uncle’s achievements.

The Road to Excellence

Seve soon demonstrated that he had remarkable ability. At the age of twelve, he won the caddies’ tournament at the Real Pedreña club, and the local golfers already marked him as a coming champion. Natural ability is never enough in itself, however. Seve soon showed that he had the necessary determination to develop his talent through countless hours of grueling practice. Seve estimated that, throughout his teen years, he hit about one thousand golf balls a day.

Seve continued to have the advantage of his uncle’s expert tutoring. Because of his constant practice, he was able to develop a stroke of unusual rhythm and accuracy. Having supreme confidence in his swing, Seve exhibited a powerful, seemingly wild swing. In fact, his slashing style was under much more control than most spectators appreciated. His drives were among the longest of any touring professional.

Other characteristics of Seve’s game were apparent in his teens. At the Real Pedreña, he made an extraordinarily close survey of the layout of each hole, a practice he was to continue as he extended his activity to other courses. Because of his knowledge of the course, he was able to get out of trouble in a way that few other golfers could match. A situation that ruined a hole for most golfers, for example, a ball placed behind trees, was an easy shot for Seve.

Still another feature of Seve’s play was his remarkable short game. His chipping and putting were exceptional, even by professional standards. A typical hole for Seve might feature an enormously long drive that placed him in trouble. A spectacular recovery shot often got him on the green, after which he often putted for a birdie, or one stroke below par. With his combination of talent and determination, not surprisingly, Seve decided to devote his complete attention to golf at the age of fifteen.

The Emerging Champion

By the age of nineteen, Seve had become an international star. In that year, he entered thirty-four tournaments and won more than $100,000. His most exciting achievement, however, was not in a tournament he won.

In the 1976 British Open, held at the Royal Birkdale Club, one of the world’s most difficult courses, Seve led the tournament for three rounds. The course was famous for its unusually thick rough and its fiendishly positioned traps. Seve’s ability with trouble shots served him well, and he was able to drive with his customary power, knowing that he had little to fear. Once near the green, his outstanding chipping and pitching distanced him even further from the competition.

Although on the last day the American professional Johnny Miller pulled away from Seve to win the tournament, his second-place finish was an outstanding achievement for a nineteen-year-old. He had, among other things, outplayed the great Jack Nicklaus.

Seve quickly proved that his high finish at the British Open was no fluke. He won the 1976 Lancome Trophy in Paris, this time besting Arnold Palmer. In the next few years, Seve established himself as one of the highest-earning European professionals.

Continuing the Story

A great golfer is not measured by native ability or near-wins. The real criterion of greatness is wins in golf’s majors: the United States Open, the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Championship, the British Open, and The Masters. Seve met this rigid test.

The 1979 British Open was held at the Royal Lytham and St. Anne’s Course near the Irish Sea. The fierce winds that often pummel this course make golfing unusually challenging. Once more, Seve relied on his troubleshooting ability and short game. He won the tournament with relative ease and was the only contestant whose four-round total was below par. He was only twenty-two years old, the youngest winner of the British Open in nearly a century.

In 1980, Seve proved he could win against the best players in the United States. In that year, he won The Masters, becoming the youngest player ever to do so. He won again in 1983, narrowly missing further victories in 1986 and 1987. However, an ongoing dispute with Deane Beman and the U.S. PGA meant he played comparatively little golf in the United States during the 1980’s.

Seve continued his triumphs in Europe during that decade, becoming universally recognized as among the top two or three players in the world. He won three British Opens; his 1984 win at St. Andrews was considered by many to be his greatest moment. His 1988 win was his last major championship victory.

In 1988, Seve married Carmen Botin, the twenty-three-year-old daughter of one of Spain’s wealthiest families, having met her in England in 1981. They had three children together but divorced in 2004.

Seve’s Ryder Cup playing record was exceptional. He was among the first Europeans to be chosen when the Great Britain team widened itself to include European players in 1979, and he brought the tournament to Spain in 1997 at the Valderrama course. From 1979 to 1997, he only missed the tournament once, in 1981, when in dispute with the European PGA Tour. In 1983, he gained 3 1/2 points out of 5 and was even better in 1991. In 1987, he was paired with fellow Spaniard José María Olazábal, a historically successful partnership lasting through 1993. In 1997, he was appointed captain, and the Europeans won on the final hole of the final match.

With victories in the Volvo PGA Championship in 1991 and several others in the European Tour, Seve remained one of the world’s premier golfers. However, his game began to deteriorate in 1992, reviving briefly in 1994. In 1999, Seve was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Without a major-tournament win since the 1995 Ryder Cup Championship and the Spanish Open, Seve’s best years seemed behind him. However, he had another brief revival when he defeated Colin Montgomerie to lead Europe to victory in the inaugural 2000 Seve Ballesteros Cup, which pits European Tour professionals against those of England and Ireland. As nonplaying captain, he led the Europeans to three further victories. He finally retired in 2007.

In November, 2008, Seve underwent brain surgery. Doctors hoped for a full recovery, and in early 2009, his chemotherapy treatments produced promising results.

Summary

Seve Ballesteros marched to the top in golf, seemingly without difficulty. He inspired a whole generation of Spanish players, including Olazábel and Sergio Garcia, and became a role model for them. He probably did as much for the European PGA Tour as any other player, and his influence on the Ryder Cup was tremendous. He was a charismatic figure, especially popular in the United Kingdom and his native country.

Bibliography

Ballesteros, Severiano. Seve: The Autobiography. New York: Yellow Jersey Press, 2007.

Ballesteros, Severiano, with John Andrisani. Natural Golf. New York: Atheneum, 1988.

Ballesteros, Severiano, and Dudley Doust. Seve, the Young Champion. Norwalk, Conn.: Golf Digest/Tennis, 1982.

Green, Robert. Seve: Golf’s Flawed Genius. London: Robson Books, 2006.

St. John, Lauren. Seve: Ryder Cup Hero. Nashville, Tenn.: Rutledge Hill Press, 1997.

Tait, Alistair. Seve: A Biography of Severiano Ballesteros. London: Virgin Books, 2005.