RIP Seve Ballesteros

[jr/shotglass]

The golfing great's prognosis is very, very grave.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2011/05/seve-ballesteros-condition-worsens/1

 

[YankeeFan]

Re: Seve Ballesteros' condition worsens

That's a shame. A terrific golfer and very charismatic.

For a guy who played mostly in Europe, he had a big following in the States.

And, while I know he won 5 Majors, I'll remember him more as the guy who won my local tournament, the Westchester Classic, twice while I was growing up. He won that tournament in 1988 in a four way playoff.

 

[tripleoption34]

Re: Seve Ballesteros' condition worsens

Sad. One of the sport's best and a great goodwill ambassador for it as well. The world will be a little less brighter when he does pass away.

 

[rmanfredi]

Re: Seve Ballesteros' condition worsens

I remember watching some made-for-TV event back in the early 1980s where they had top golfers play in a head-to-head format. The catch was that they could only have something like five clubs in their bag.

I seem to remember Seve beating Tom Watson, and the big deal being that Seve added an extra iron to his bag by not using a putter and instead putting with his driver/chipping from the green.

Seve was the swashbuckling, win-it-or-wear-it player that Phil Mickelson fashioned himself to be, except while Phil is often times puzzling and exasperating, Seve truly was bold and inventive.

He made birdie from the parking lot, for God's sakes...

 

[trifectarich]

Re: Seve Ballesteros' condition worsens

I've had the pleasure of following Seve for many rounds and every one was a thrill. His creativity was astounding; he might not have pulled off every one, but, damn, was it fun watching him try.

Hang in there, Seve.

 

[Corky Ramirez up on 94th St.]

Re: Seve Ballesteros' condition worsens

I remember as Seve faded over the final four holes in the '86 Masters, Ken Venturi said Seve will win a few more green jackets. Hard to believe that his dominance on American soil would soon be over after that. rmanfredi's take is spot-on ... he really was bold and inventive in his shots. I'm sad I never got to appreciate him during his prime.

A 54-year-old, famous athlete or not, should not be fighting for his or her life at such a young age.

 

[SoCalDude]

Re: Seve Ballesteros' condition worsens

I know a Sports Editor who was proofing a page, saw a "mistake" and sent out the fix. Paper came out with "Steve" Ballesteros winning a tournament.

 

[tripleoption34]

Re: Seve Ballesteros' condition worsens

BBC News just reported at Ballesteros passed away.

Gone far too soon, but he did pass on with loved ones at his side.

 

[slappy4428]

Re: Seve Ballesteros' condition worsens

damn...

 

[slappy4428]

Re: Seve Ballesteros' condition worsens

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/golf/13311206.stm

 

[Jesus_Muscatel]

Re: Seve Ballesteros' condition worsens

RIP Seve.

The Dashing Spaniard had style.

 

[dooley_womack1]

Thanks for the title change, Shotty. Seve and Norman were probably the closest to having Tiger-type presence during their era. That he continued to be a key figure long after he stopped being a contender is a testimony to that. R.I.P.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Keep Pounding, Seve ... and keep up those astounding shots.

The background stories of Seve in a golf book of mine were mind-spinning. How he was given the head of an old 3-iron and would find wood sticks, jam them in the hosel and soak until he had a "club." Wash, rinse and repeat when the stick broke. And he didn't have golf balls, instead opting for the roundest stones he could find.

That was where the creativity came from. That's also why he was the wrong guy to play in a five-club or one-club format.

RIP, good sir and don't forget to keep making birdies from the parking lot at your next destination.

 

[MileHigh]

RIP.

Here's a well-done obit from Chuck Culpepper.

http://www.latimes.com/news/la-mew-seve-ballesteros-20110507,0,5186539.story

 

[CarltonBanks]

He used to make the old World Series of Golf tournaments in Akron must-see television. My father, who is not one for memorabilia, still has an old WSOG program Seve signed years ago. While I would always root for Jack or, later, Tom Watson my pops was always a Seve guy. RIP to one of the best to ever play the game.

 

[WolvEagle]

RIP Seve. A class act all the way.

 

[trifectarich]

Great quote from Nick Price: "I’ve always said most of us could shoot 65 in about 30 or 40 ways. He could do it about 10,000 different ways."

 

[imjustagirl]

Saying "well-done" and "Culpepper" in the same sentence is repetitive. [/fangirl]

Very well-written piece, though.

 

[Captain_Kirk]

What a shame. He should have been tearing up the Senior Tour right now. Way, way too young. RIP.

 

[hondo]

Yeah, five majors. But I think his greatest legacy was personally taking the Ryder Cup from being an after-thought to the biggest single event in golf right now (in my opinion). When they expanded it from Great Britain/Ireland in 1979 to all of continental Europe, he led a series of ass-whippings on the U.S. And, surprise, surprise, American sports fans started to care about it (the same way they started to care about Olympic basketball after the Russians won). One of the most amazing stats in golf is that he was 11-2-2 with Olazabal in Ryder Cup doubles. And it's not like they were playing Robert Gamez and Woody Austin. They were getting the best the U.S. had to offer.

Oh, and there was the birdie from the parking lot in a British Open.