RIP Seve
- Thread starter Malibook
- Start date
MADRID, Spain -- Tributes poured in from across the globe Saturday after five-time major winner Seve Ballesteros died of brain cancer, with players moved to tears by the passing of the dashing Spaniard who transformed European golf and the Ryder Cup.
Ballesteros died one day after his family said he had severely deteriorated in his recovery from multiple surgeries to remove a malignant brain tumour in 2008. He was 54.
"His creativity and inventiveness on the golf course may never be surpassed," Tiger Woods wrote on Twitter. "His death came much too soon."
George O'Grady, the chief executive of the European Tour, called it "a very sad day for all who love golf" and said Ballesteros was the inspiration behind the tour.
The Spanish Open -- site of Ballesteros' record 50th and last European Tour win in 1995 -- planned to honour Ballesteros with a minute of silence during Saturday's third round, where former Ryder Cup partner Jose Maria Olazabal broke into tears before his tee time.
"I'm going to play because that's the greatest honour I could give Seve," said Olazabal, who teamed with Ballesteros to form one of the Ryder Cup's greatest partnerships.
Olazabal, a two-time Masters champion, recalled Ballesteros' "strength, his fighting spirit and passion for everything he did." He said he last met Ballesteros on April 16.
"He wasn't well but he was lucid," Olazabal said. "We spoke about a lot of things and memories of the Ryder Cup. The best homage we can pay him is to continue playing, but I don't think any of the homages we make will ever be sufficient enough."
Also moved to tears on Saturday was Rafael Nadal, the top-ranked tennis star who called his win over Roger Federer in the semifinals of the Madrid Open inconsequential.
"This morning the first thing I did was to turn on TV, and the first thing I saw was that he had died," said Nadal, who recalled the time he played 18 holes with Ballesteros.
"It's a day of sadness when you wake up with news like that. You face your day differently. It is a loss that we'll never get back due to all the values that Seve had," Nadal said. "But luckily we have all of his videos and also we can remember him."
Ballesteros' funeral will be Wednesday in Pedrena, his native home in northern Spain, with family and close friends attending the subsequent wake. Three days of official mourning will be held in Cantabria, according to regional government head Miguel Angel Revilla.
"It is such a sad day for Spain, Europe and the world of golf, which has lost one of its icons," said Colin Montgomerie, who knew Ballesteros well from the Ryder Cup. "But it is only right to celebrate his life. It was an honour to play for him and with him."
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero called Ballesteros a trailblazer.
"Severiano marks a before and after point in Spanish sports -- his example opened the way for the extraordinary moment which our country's sports is living through now," Zapatero said in a statement. "He knew how to symbolize the image of the new, democratic Spain."
Spanish golf federation President Gonzaga Escauriaza said Ballesteros was a "unique, unrepeatable person" who helped grow the game in his native country.
No. 1-ranked Lee Westwood wrote on Twitter: "It's a sad day. Lost an inspiration, genius, role model, hero and friend. Seve made European golf what it is today."
Three-time major winner Nick Price said Ballesteros was "light years ahead" after seeing him for the first time when they were both 21, calling it a "mesmerizing" moment. The pair duelled at the 1988 British Open, with Ballesteros rallying from a two-stroke deficit to beat Price by two shots with a final round 65 for his last major championship.
"He did for European golf what Tiger Woods did for worldwide golf. The European Tour would not be where it is today if not for Seve Ballesteros," Price, whose brother died from the same ailment last year, said from a Champions Tour event in Alabama. "His allegiance to the European Tour was admirable. The guy, he was an icon, just an incredible golfer."
Fanny Sunesson, the former caddie for Nick Faldo during some of those Ryder Cups, was asked her recollections and began to cry. "The tears say it all," she said.
Tom Lehman, the 1996 British Open champion, recalled Ballesteros' kindness.
"Such a competitive guy, so I always appreciated that he took the time to say something nice," Lehman said. "As a competitor, he didn't have to do that, but he did."
He also marvelled at the Spaniard's attitude.
"His body language was the strongest of anybody, maybe save Tiger in recent years," Lehman said. "I've always said that his body language said, 'Hey, I may have hit a really crappy shot right there, but if you miss this next one, you'll miss the greatest shot ever hit.' That's just the way he walked, the way he acted, the way he carried himself."
All La Liga soccer games in Spain began after a minute's silence held in memory of Ballesteros. Hercules team captain Francisco Pena placed flowers on the centre of the field next to a pair of golf clubs before the match with Racing Santander. Racing players emerged from the dressing room with a golf cart bearing a club jersey and a slogan saying "Seve forever."
http://www.tsn.ca/golf/story/?id=364981
Ballesteros died one day after his family said he had severely deteriorated in his recovery from multiple surgeries to remove a malignant brain tumour in 2008. He was 54.
"His creativity and inventiveness on the golf course may never be surpassed," Tiger Woods wrote on Twitter. "His death came much too soon."
George O'Grady, the chief executive of the European Tour, called it "a very sad day for all who love golf" and said Ballesteros was the inspiration behind the tour.
The Spanish Open -- site of Ballesteros' record 50th and last European Tour win in 1995 -- planned to honour Ballesteros with a minute of silence during Saturday's third round, where former Ryder Cup partner Jose Maria Olazabal broke into tears before his tee time.
"I'm going to play because that's the greatest honour I could give Seve," said Olazabal, who teamed with Ballesteros to form one of the Ryder Cup's greatest partnerships.
Olazabal, a two-time Masters champion, recalled Ballesteros' "strength, his fighting spirit and passion for everything he did." He said he last met Ballesteros on April 16.
"He wasn't well but he was lucid," Olazabal said. "We spoke about a lot of things and memories of the Ryder Cup. The best homage we can pay him is to continue playing, but I don't think any of the homages we make will ever be sufficient enough."
Also moved to tears on Saturday was Rafael Nadal, the top-ranked tennis star who called his win over Roger Federer in the semifinals of the Madrid Open inconsequential.
"This morning the first thing I did was to turn on TV, and the first thing I saw was that he had died," said Nadal, who recalled the time he played 18 holes with Ballesteros.
"It's a day of sadness when you wake up with news like that. You face your day differently. It is a loss that we'll never get back due to all the values that Seve had," Nadal said. "But luckily we have all of his videos and also we can remember him."
Ballesteros' funeral will be Wednesday in Pedrena, his native home in northern Spain, with family and close friends attending the subsequent wake. Three days of official mourning will be held in Cantabria, according to regional government head Miguel Angel Revilla.
"It is such a sad day for Spain, Europe and the world of golf, which has lost one of its icons," said Colin Montgomerie, who knew Ballesteros well from the Ryder Cup. "But it is only right to celebrate his life. It was an honour to play for him and with him."
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero called Ballesteros a trailblazer.
"Severiano marks a before and after point in Spanish sports -- his example opened the way for the extraordinary moment which our country's sports is living through now," Zapatero said in a statement. "He knew how to symbolize the image of the new, democratic Spain."
Spanish golf federation President Gonzaga Escauriaza said Ballesteros was a "unique, unrepeatable person" who helped grow the game in his native country.
No. 1-ranked Lee Westwood wrote on Twitter: "It's a sad day. Lost an inspiration, genius, role model, hero and friend. Seve made European golf what it is today."
Three-time major winner Nick Price said Ballesteros was "light years ahead" after seeing him for the first time when they were both 21, calling it a "mesmerizing" moment. The pair duelled at the 1988 British Open, with Ballesteros rallying from a two-stroke deficit to beat Price by two shots with a final round 65 for his last major championship.
"He did for European golf what Tiger Woods did for worldwide golf. The European Tour would not be where it is today if not for Seve Ballesteros," Price, whose brother died from the same ailment last year, said from a Champions Tour event in Alabama. "His allegiance to the European Tour was admirable. The guy, he was an icon, just an incredible golfer."
Fanny Sunesson, the former caddie for Nick Faldo during some of those Ryder Cups, was asked her recollections and began to cry. "The tears say it all," she said.
Tom Lehman, the 1996 British Open champion, recalled Ballesteros' kindness.
"Such a competitive guy, so I always appreciated that he took the time to say something nice," Lehman said. "As a competitor, he didn't have to do that, but he did."
He also marvelled at the Spaniard's attitude.
"His body language was the strongest of anybody, maybe save Tiger in recent years," Lehman said. "I've always said that his body language said, 'Hey, I may have hit a really crappy shot right there, but if you miss this next one, you'll miss the greatest shot ever hit.' That's just the way he walked, the way he acted, the way he carried himself."
All La Liga soccer games in Spain began after a minute's silence held in memory of Ballesteros. Hercules team captain Francisco Pena placed flowers on the centre of the field next to a pair of golf clubs before the match with Racing Santander. Racing players emerged from the dressing room with a golf cart bearing a club jersey and a slogan saying "Seve forever."
http://www.tsn.ca/golf/story/?id=364981
Spare me your sanctimony
Seve was the Arnold Palmer of European golfing.
Tiger Woods is a liar on a biblical scale.
You got the wrong guy. It is djzero who is classless. It is typical that in a thread meant as a tribute he has to throw in insults totally unrelated and unnecessary to the topic at hand. luvgirls was simply calling him on that.
dj needs to find a rock to crawl under because he is widely disliked. If he can't find one I'm sure a policeman would be willing to help him.
I am not defending Tiger Woods' actions, but I'm tired of pretentious closet racists telling me he somehow destroyed the dignity of the game of golf because he cheated on his wife. He cannot possibly be the first golfer to have done that. What he did is sully your silly game by being non-white in it. And regardless, as Shack pointed out, Tiger has nothing to do with the death of Seve Ballesteros.
Seve was usually an eratic driver of the ball, but had imagination and a short short game almost second to none. God bless him and his family.
God I am tired of you.
Talk about turning a thread meant to honour someone into something else.
You are such an egoist. Shack doesn't like you = everyone doesn't like you? Get a grip on reality.
Will you please go away you idiotic miserable cantankerous vomitous mass..
Now that is good motivation for me to stay on your pathetic ass. Guaranteed there are dozens besides me here who are tired of your juvenile posts.dj1470 said:
Oh, I get it. Throwing in a moronic insult of Tiger (who, BTW, I am no fan of), is your idea of staying on topic and honouring SB.dj1470 said:
For sure I am not the only one with that opinion. So many people have dumped on your ridiculous posts that you've pulled threads because it obviously embarrassed you. Remember the one where you whined about how cops treated you poorly? After about a dozen people said you deserved it, with your attitude, you deleted the thread.dj1470 said:
The reality is that I am far from the only one who thinks you are an................
And no, I will not be going away any time soon.
He was a gem.
I am not a fan of golf; but any sport would have been proud to have him as an ambassador.
When he won The Masters in 1980, he became the first non-English player to wear the green jacket. No other player has done more to make golf a global game.
He will be missed.
I am not a fan of golf; but any sport would have been proud to have him as an ambassador.
When he won The Masters in 1980, he became the first non-English player to wear the green jacket. No other player has done more to make golf a global game.
He will be missed.
