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Severiano Ballesteros
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Birth | April 9, 1957 Pedreña, Spain |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Nationality |  Spain |
| Spouse | Carmen (1988-2004) |
| Children | Javier (1990), Miguel (1992), Carmen (1994) |
| Residence | Santander, Spain |
| College | None |
| Career | |
| Turned Pro | 1974 |
| Retired | 2007 |
| Former Tours | European Tour, Champions Tour, European Seniors Tour |
| Professional wins | 94 (European Tour: 49, PGA Tour: 9, Other: 36) |
| Best Results in Major Championships Wins: 5 |
|
| Masters | Won 1980, 1983 |
| U.S. Open | 3rd: 1987 |
| The Open Championship | Won 1979, 1984, 1988 |
| PGA Championship | 5th: 1984 |
| Awards | |
| European Tour Order of Merit Winner |
1976, 1977, 1978, 1986, 1988, 1991 |
| World Golf Hall of Fame | 1997 |
Severiano "Seve" Ballesteros (born 9 April 1957) is 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.
Contents |
Ballesteros was born in Pedreña, Cantabria, Spain. He learned the game while playing on the beaches near his home, mainly using a 3-iron given to him by one of his older brothers. His uncle Ramón Sota was Spanish professional champion four times and finished 6th 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 are also professional golfers, but made little impact in tournament golf. Severiano's nephew Raúl has played the European Tour since the turn of the millennium, but has had little success.
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; he went on to win the European Tour Order of Merit (money title) that year, and repeated his Order of Merit win the following two years. He would go on to win the Order of Merit six times, a record at that time (since surpassed by Colin Montgomerie). 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.
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, and was a mainstay of the European Ryder Cup team for much of the 1980s and 1990s. He scored 20 points out of 37 matches against the United States; his partnership with fellow Spaniard José María Olazábal 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 at Valderrama Golf Club in Sotogrande, Spain. This was the first Ryder Cup ever held in continental Europe.
In 2000, he created The Seve Trophy, a team competition similar to the Ryder Cup pitting a team from Great Britain and Ireland against one from continental Europe.
Ballesteros had played sparingly since the late 1990s due to 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 runs a thriving golf course design business, is divorced with three children and has been eligible for the Champions Tour and European Seniors Tour upon turning 50 in 2007.
Ballesteros was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1997.
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.[1]
He was announced again as non-playing captain of the 2007 European team to defend the Royal Trophy against the Asian team at the Amata Spring Country Club in Bangkok.
After further recurrence 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, ringing 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.[2]
"I really believe that when things are going your way, it is your destiny to win. So many great things happen."
"I feel calm in calm colors. I don't want people to watch the way I dress. I want people to watch the way I play."
"Seve can have an off week and still win. But if Seve plays well and the rest of us play well, Seve wins." --Ben Crenshaw on Seve Ballesteros[3]
- 1976 (2) Dutch Open, Lancome Trophy
- 1977 (3) Open de France, Uniroyal International Championship, Swiss Open
- 1978 (4) Martini International, Braun German Open, Scandinavian Enterprise Open, Swiss Open
- 1979 (2) Lada English Golf Classic, The Open Championship
- 1980 (3) Madrid Open, Martini International, Dutch Open
- 1981 (2) Scandinavian Enterprise Open, Benson and Hedges Spanish Open
- 1982 (2) Cepsa Madrid Open, Paco Rabanne Open de France
- 1983 (3) Sun Alliance PGA Championship, Carroll's Irish Open, Lancome Trophy
- 1984 (1) The Open Championship
- 1985 (4) Carroll's Irish Open, Peugeot Open de France, Sanyo Open, Benson and Hedges Spanish Open
- 1986 (6) Dunhill British Masters, Carroll's Irish Open, Johnnie Walker Monte Carlo Open, Peugeot Open de France, KLM Dutch Open, Lancome Trophy
- 1987 (1) Suze Open
- 1988 (5) Mallorca Open de Baleares, The Open Championship, Scandinavian Enterprise Open, German Open, Lancome Trophy
- 1989 (3) Cepsa Madrid Open, Epson Grand Prix of Europe Matchplay Championship, Ebel European Masters Swiss Open
- 1990 (1) Open Renault de Baleares
- 1991 (2) Volvo PGA Championship, Dunhill British Masters
- 1992 (2) Dubai Desert Classic, Turespana Open de Baleares
- 1994 (2) Benson & Hedges International Open, Mercedes German Masters
- 1995 (1) Peugeot Spanish Open
Major championships are shown in bold.
Ballesteros's win in the 1976 Lancome Trophy is omitted from his win list on his profile on the European Tour's official site, so only 48 wins are listed. This appears to be an error (1976 was the first year that the Trophy was an official money event, and it is included in the 1976 schedule on the official site, whereas the 1975 event was not). Some sources state that Ballesteros has 50 European Tour wins, but the basis for that figure is unclear.
- 1978 (1) Greater Greensboro Open
- 1979 (1) The Open Championship
- 1980 (1) The Masters
- 1983 (2) The Masters, Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic
- 1984 (1) The Open Championship
- 1985 (1) USF&G Classic
- 1988 (2) Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic, The Open Championship
Major championships are shown in bold. (Seve's Open Championship wins also count as PGA Tour wins. The two majors played in the United States did not count as European Tour events before 1987.)
- 1977 Japan Open, Dunlop Phoenix
- 1978 Japan Open
- 1981 Dunlop Phoenix
- 1988 Visa Taiheiyo Masters
- 1991 The Crowns
- 1974 Spanish National Championship for under 25s, Open de Vizcaya
- 1975 Spanish National Championship for under 25s
- 1976 Memorial Donald Swaelens, Cataluña Championship, Tenerife Championship, World Cup of Golf (with Manuel Piñero)
- 1977 Otago Classic (New Zealand), Braun International Golf (Germany - not a European Tour event), World Cup of Golf (with Antonio Garrido)
- 1978 Kenya Open, Spanish National Championship for under 25s
- 1979 Open el Prat
- 1981 Australian PGA Championship, Suntory World Match Play Championship (England - not then a European Tour event)
- 1982 Masters de San Remo (Italy), Suntory World Match Play Championship (England - not then a European Tour event)
- 1983 Million Dollar Challenge (South Africa)
- 1984 Suntory World Match Play Championship (England - not then a European Tour event), Million Dollar Challenge (South Africa)
- 1985 Spanish Championship for Professionals, Suntory World Match Play Championship (England - not then a European Tour event), Campeonato de España-Codorniu
- 1987 APG Larios, Campeonato de España Para Professionales
- 1988 APG Larios
- 1991 Toyota World Match Play Championship (England - not then a European Tour event)
- 1992 Copa Quinto Centenario per Equipos, Fifth Centenary Cup (team)
- 1995 Tournoi Perrier (team)
| Year | Championship | 54 Holes | Winning Score | Margin | Runner(s) Up |
| 1979 | The Open Championship | 2 shot deficit | -1 (73-65-75-70=283) | 3 strokes |  Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw |
| 1980 | The Masters | 7 shot lead | -13 (66-69-68-72=275) | 4 strokes | Gibby Gilbert,  Jack Newton |
| 1983 | The Masters (2) | 1 shot deficit | -8 (68-70-73-69=280) | 4 strokes | Ben Crenshaw, Tom Kite |
| 1984 | The Open Championship (2) | 2 shot deficit | -12 (69-68-70-69=276) | 2 strokes | Tom Watson,  Bernhard Langer |
| 1988 | The Open Championship (3) | 2 shot deficit | -12 (67-71-70-65=273) | 2 strokes |  Nick Price |
| Tournament | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | T33 | T18 | T12 |
| U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | T16 | CUT |
| The Open Championship | CUT | T2 | T15 | T17 | 1 |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | 1 | CUT | T3 | 1 | CUT | T2 | 4 | T2 | T11 | 5 |
| U.S. Open | DQ | T41 | CUT | T4 | T30 | T5 | T24 | 3 | T32 | T43 |
| The Open Championship | T19 | T39 | T13 | T6 | 1 | T39 | T6 | T50 | 1 | T77 |
| PGA Championship | DNP | T33 | 13 | T27 | 5 | T32 | CUT | T10 | CUT | T12 |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | T7 | T22 | T59 | T11 | T18 | T45 | 43 | CUT | CUT | CUT |
| U.S. Open | T33 | CUT | T23 | CUT | T18 | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | CUT | T9 | CUT | T27 | T38 | T40 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT |
| PGA Championship | CUT | T23 | DNP | DNP | CUT | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT |
| U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | CUT | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half way cut
DQ = disqualified
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
- Starts – 87
- Wins – 5
- 2nd place finishes – 3
- Top 3 finishes – 10
- Top 5 finishes – 15
- Top 10 finishes – 20
- Longest streak of top-10s in majors – 4
- Ryder Cup: 1979, 1983, 1985 (winners), 1987 (winners), 1989 (tied, cup retained), 1991, 1993, 1995 (winners), 1997 (winners - non-playing captain)
- Alfred Dunhill Cup: 1985, 1986, 1988
- World Cup of Golf: 1975, 1976 (winner with Manuel Piñero), 1977 (winner with Antonio Garrido), 1991
- Hennessy Cognac Cup: 1976, 1978, 1980
- Double Diamond: 1975, 1976, 1977
- The Seve Trophy: 2000 (winners), 2002, 2003 (non-playing captain), 2005 (non-playing captain)
- The Royal Trophy - Asia v Europe: 2006 (non-playing captain - winners)
- Golfers with most PGA Tour wins
- Golfers with most major championship wins
- Golfers with most European Tour wins
- ^ Yocom, Guy (July 2000). 50 Greatest Golfers of All Time: And What They Taught Us. Golf Digest. Retrieved on 2007-12-05.
- ^ Ballesteros retires after failed try on Champions Tour. ESPN.com (2007-07-16). Retrieved on 2007-07-16.
- ^ The Gigantic Book of Golf Quotations, ed. Jim Apfelbaum. Published in 2007
- Official home page
- Profile on the European Tour's official site
- Profile on the PGA Tour's official site
- Seve Ballesteros at About.com
- Seve Ballesteros profile at Golf Legends
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| Great Britain
1927 Ted Ray · 1929 George Duncan · 1931 Charles Whitcombe · 1933 John Henry Taylor · 1935 Charles Whitcombe · 1937 Charles Whitcombe · 1947 Henry Cotton · 1949 Charles Whitcombe · 1951 Arthur Lacey · 1953 Henry Cotton · 1955 Dai Rees · 1957 Dai Rees · 1959 Dai Rees · 1961 Dai Rees · 1963 John Fallon · 1965 Harry Weetman · 1967 Dai Rees · 1969 Eric Brown · 1971 Eric Brown Great Britain & Ireland 1973 Bernard Hunt · 1975 Bernard Hunt · 1977 Brian Huggett Europe 1979 John Jacobs · 1981 John Jacobs · 1983 Tony Jacklin · 1985 Tony Jacklin · 1987 Tony Jacklin · 1989 Tony Jacklin · 1991 Bernard Gallacher · 1993 Bernard Gallacher · 1995 Bernard Gallacher · 1997 Seve Ballesteros · 1999 Mark James · 2002 Sam Torrance · 2004 Bernhard Langer · 2006 Ian Woosnam · 2008 Nick Faldo |
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| 1971 Peter Oosterhuis • 1972 Peter Oosterhuis • 1973 Peter Oosterhuis • 1974 Peter Oosterhuis • 1975 Dale Hayes • 1976 Seve Ballesteros • 1977 Seve Ballesteros • 1978 Seve Ballesteros • 1979 Sandy Lyle • 1980 Sandy Lyle • 1981 Bernhard Langer • 1982 Greg Norman • 1983 Nick Faldo • 1984 Bernhard Langer • 1985 Sandy Lyle • 1986 Seve Ballesteros • 1987 Ian Woosnam • 1988 Seve Ballesteros • 1989 Ronan Rafferty • 1990 Ian Woosnam • 1991 Seve Ballesteros • 1992 Nick Faldo • 1993 Colin Montgomerie • 1994 Colin Montgomerie • 1995 Colin Montgomerie • 1996 Colin Montgomerie • 1997 Colin Montgomerie • 1998 Colin Montgomerie • 1999 Colin Montgomerie • 2000 Lee Westwood • 2001 Retief Goosen • 2002 Retief Goosen • 2003 Ernie Els • 2004 Ernie Els • 2005 Colin Montgomerie • 2006 Pádraig Harrington • 2007 Justin Rose |