Site address: http://www.memorialmatters.com/memorials.php?page=SeveBallesteros
In Remembrance of Seve Ballesteros
9 April, 1957 ~ 7 May, 2011
Pedrena, Spain
Message from Simon Raybould:
" Memorial Tribute to the legendary Seve "
Biography
Severiano "Seve" Ballesteros Sota (9 April 1957 � 7 May 2011) was a Spanish professional golfer and former World No. 1, who was one of the sport's leading figures from the mid 1970s to the mid 1990s. He announced himself to the golfing world in 1976, when at age 19 he finished second at The Open Championship.
A member of a gifted golfing family, Ballesteros won five major tournaments between the years of 1979 and 1988, including The Open Championship three times, and The Masters twice. He was also successful in the Ryder Cup, helping the European team to five wins both as a player and captain. He is best known for his great short game, and his erratic driving of the golf ball.
Because of back-related injuries, Ballesteros struggled with form during the 1990s.
In spite of this, he continued to be involved in the game of golf, creating the Seve Trophy and running a golf course design business. Ballesteros eventually retired from competitive golf in 2007 because of continued poor form, and in 2008 was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour. After reports that Ballesteros would make a return to the spotlight at the 2010 Open Championship, following the advice of doctors, he did not travel to St Andrews in 2010 for the Open Championship.
Ballesteros was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for the second time at the BBC Sports Personality Awards 2009. He was presented with the award at his home in Spain by his friend, compatriot and former Ryder Cup team-mate Jos� Mar�a Olaz�bal. Ballesteros died of brain cancer on 7 May 2011, aged 54.
Early life and career
Ballesteros was born in Pedre�a, Cantabria, Spain. 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 one of his older brothers. His uncle Ram�n Sota was Spanish professional champion four times and finished sixth in The Masters in 1965. Severiano's older brother Manuel finished in the top 100 on the European Tour order of merit every year from 1972 to 1983, and later became Severiano's manager. Brothers Vicente and Baldomero, and nephew Ra�l are also professional golfers.
Ballesteros turned professional in March 1974 at the age of 16. In 1976, he burst onto the international scene with a second-place finish in The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. 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. He went on to win the European Tour Order of Merit (money title) that year, a title that he would win six times, including the next two years, which was a record at that time (since surpassed by Colin Montgomerie).
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 birdie. In 1988, he led the Official World Golf Rankings at the end of the year; these rankings were not inaugurated until April 1986, but Ballesteros also led McCormack's World Golf Rankings, published in McCormack's "World Of Professional Golf" annuals (from which the official rankings were developed) from 1983 to 1985.[9] He led the Official World Golf Rankings for a total of 61 weeks from 1986 to 1989.
Ballesteros went on to win five major championships: The Masters in 1980 and 1983, and The Open Championship in 1979, 1984 and 1988. His 1980 Masters win was the first by a European player, and at the time he was the youngest winner of the tournament, at 23 (though this record was broken by Tiger Woods in 1997). 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.
He was also a great at match play; he won the World Match Play Championship five times, equalling Gary Player's record and was a mainstay of the European Ryder Cup team for much of the 1980s and 1990s. He scored 22� points in 37 matches against the United States; his partnership with fellow Spaniard Jos� Mar�a Olaz�bal was the most successful in the history of the competition, with 11 wins and two halved matches out of 15 pairs matches.
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 atValderrama Golf Club in Sotogrande, Spain. This was the first Ryder Cup ever held in continental Europe.
Late career and retirement
In 1999, Ballesteros was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. 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.
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.
Ballesteros had played sparingly since the late 1990s because of back problems, and made his first start in years at the 2005 Madrid Open. 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, was divorced with three children and had been eligible for theChampions Tour and European Seniors Tour upon turning 50 in 2007.
Ballesteros had been the captain of the European team in the Royal Trophy since its inception in 2006. 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.
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. 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.
Ballesteros was a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy. He had become involved in European golf course design in recent years, most famously altering the 17th hole at Valderrama before the 1997 Ryder Cup.
Personal life
Ballesteros was married to Carmen Bot�n O'Shea, daughter of Emilio Bot�n, from 1988 until their divorce in 2004, in the municipality of Marina de Cudeyo in Cantabria. The couple had three children, Baldomero, Miguel and Carmen.
The marriage was said to have run into trouble when Ballesteros could not accept the fact his career was on the wane.
Brain tumour and death
At Madrid airport on 6 October 2008 Ballesteros lost consciousness and was admitted to hospital. Six days later, he confirmed that he had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour. On 15 October, Spanish news agency Efe reported that he had undergone a twelve hour surgery 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. 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. On 24 October, it was confirmed that the tumour was removed after a six and a half hour surgery. 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.
Ballesteros was discharged from hospital on 9 December. He returned home to northern Spain and underwent chemotherapy treatment as an outpatient. In January 2009 a message on his website said he had responded well to one course of chemotherapy.
"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. and completed his fourth and final course of chemotherapy a month later.
In June, Ballesteros made his first public appearance after treatment for a brain tumour. He said it was a "miracle" to be alive and he thanked everyone who had been involved in his care and welfare.
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 can be as successful as him.
On 6 May 2011, his family released a press release announcing that Ballesteros's neurological condition had "suffered a severe deterioration". He died within hours of the announcement in the early hours of 7 May 2011.
Memories
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Candles & Flowers
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