Once or twice a generation, an athlete transcends his sport - at last, here's Seve Ballesteros in his own words
There are golfers, and there are golfers. And then there's Seve.
Severiano Ballesteros was perhaps the most naturally gifted golfer ever to have walked a fairway. From the moment his brother Manuel gave him his first club he was uns
Now the subject of a major film.
Once or twice a generation, an athlete transcends his sport - at last, here's Seve Ballesteros in his own words
There are golfers, and there are golfers. And then there's Seve.
Severiano Ballesteros was perhaps the most naturally gifted golfer ever to have walked a fairway. From the moment his brother Manuel gave him his first club he was unstoppable. A few weeks before his seventeenth birthday he turned pro. Five years later he won the Open. A genius had arrived.
For the best part of two decades Seve dominated the golfing landscape. He played shots others could only dream of. With 94 wins as a professional (including 5 majors) he was a phenomenon, an athlete who transcended his sport.
But Seve stood for more than simple excellence. Almost single-handedly, Seve gave European golf credibility; almost single-handedly, he made the Ryder Cup one of the greatest contests in world sport. And when, as captain, he finally lifted the trophy on home soil in 1997, a whole continent rejoiced. His pride and passion have inspired millions, and we have taken him to our hearts.
Here, for the first time, Seve tells his own story. From his humble beginnings right up to the present day, here at last is the man behind the magic in his own words.
Seve
is utterly entertaining, blazingly charismatic and unique.
Severiano "Seve" Ballesteros Sota
was a Spanish professional golfer and a leading sports figure. He won more than 90 international tournaments in an illustrious career. He first caught the attention of the sporting world in 1976, when at the age of 19 he finished second at The Open. He played a leading role in the re-emergence of European golf, helping the European Ryder Cup team to five wins both as a player and captain. He won the World Match Play Championship a record-tying five times. He is generally regarded as the greatest Continental European golfer of all time and won a record 50 times on the European Tour.
Ballesteros died of brain cancer on 7 May 2011, aged 54.
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Paperback
,
304 pages
Published
July 3rd 2008
by Yellow Jersey
(first published September 25th 2007)
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I wouldn't say that I enjoyed reading this book. I suppose part of it is that I'm not a golfer. Putting golf aside, I'm not sure I learnt much about Seve. I was surprised to see how "conflict prone" he was and not very gracious with these who didn't follow his way. the book is a bit mechanically structured with no natural flow of events and experiences. I suppose we can get a picture of his golfing skills development, particularly in the early age. But there isn't much information about his emot
I wouldn't say that I enjoyed reading this book. I suppose part of it is that I'm not a golfer. Putting golf aside, I'm not sure I learnt much about Seve. I was surprised to see how "conflict prone" he was and not very gracious with these who didn't follow his way. the book is a bit mechanically structured with no natural flow of events and experiences. I suppose we can get a picture of his golfing skills development, particularly in the early age. But there isn't much information about his emotional and personal development. Instead we can see a very stubborn and determined person, I would imagine a very difficult one to work and live with.
There is no mention about his cancer struggle, even in the note that his brother added as part of the ending. It would be so much more personal to see him respond to such tragedy.
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Seve is one of the greats: a great golfer, and a great artist.
He grew up learning how to play golf in his own way: hitting pebbles on the beach and in the dark with only his own sense of feeling to guide, and that my friends…is the only way to play.
1957 – 7 May 2011) was a Spanish professional golfer, a World No. 1 who was one of the sport's leading figures from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. He gained attention in the golfing world in 1976, when at the age of 19 he finished second at the The Open Championship (British Open). A member of a gifted golfing family, Ballesteros won five major championships between 1979 and 1988, the Open Champi
1957 – 7 May 2011) was a Spanish professional golfer, a World No. 1 who was one of the sport's leading figures from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. He gained attention in the golfing world in 1976, when at the age of 19 he finished second at the The Open Championship (British Open). A member of a gifted golfing family, Ballesteros won five major championships between 1979 and 1988, the Open Championship three times, and the Masters Tournament twice. He was also successful in the Ryder Cup, helping the European team to five wins both as a player and captain, and won the World Match Play Championship a record-tying five times. He is best known for his great short game, and his erratic driving of the golf ball. He is generally regarded as the greatest Spanish golfer of all time.
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 tumor. 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 José María Olazábal. Ballesteros died of brain cancer on 7 May 2011, aged 54.