Some players win tournaments. Then some players leave behind records and are called legends. And then there come players who change the game itself, and Seve Ballesteros belonged to that kind. May 7 marks 15 years since he left, and the golf world has not forgotten. So, it’s only fair that the European olfers are honoring his legacy and memories.

“My first memory of Severiano Ballesteros would have to go back to Woburn days when I went to Woburn Golf Club to watch the British Masters; in fact, it would have been the Dunhill way back when, and I just watched him, you know, carve it through trees and play these magical shots, his persona, his presence, his confidence, how he carried himself down every single hole, and his immaculate dress,” said Ian Poulter, who played with him in the Open Championship.

Seve did not grow up with coaching or a country club membership. Born on April 9, 1957, on the beaches of Pedreña, a small fishing village of northern Spain, he taught himself with a single three-iron his older brother gave him when he was eight. That’s it. That’s how he was introduced to the world of golf: just a stick on the sand and inventing shots with no name. But by 16, he was a professional, and by 22, he had won the Open Championship.

The other members of the Majesticks GC, that is, Lee Westwood, Laurie Canter, and Sam Horsfield, and their caddies, will be wearing white polos and navy trousers in Virginia to honor Seve Ballesteros. After all, he loved these colors.

Even Sergio Garcia, who grew up watching Seve, has not stopped carrying his legacy. Today, to honor him, he has worn a collar patch as a gesture on his 15th anniversary. The two played together at the 1995 Spanish Open and the 1996 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, when Garcia was an amateur.

The logo was born at the 1984 Open at St. Andrews Links. After holing the winning putt on the 18th, Seve punched his fist into the sky in what became one of the most iconic celebrations in golf history. Nick Faldo once called him “the greatest show on earth,” and it never really felt like an exaggeration.

Following his 2017 Masters victory, Garcia paid tribute to both Ballesteros and José María Olazábal, stating it was “amazing” to join them as a Spanish Masters champion, and doing it on Seve’s 60th birthday was even more special. When receiving the Masters trophy, he looked up to the heavens and thanked Ballesteros.

“Seve did come into my mind today,” he said. “I’m sure he helped a little bit with some of those shots and some of those putts,” he said.

 

Through it all, Seve was not a quiet champion. He played with his chest out and eyes burning. Every fist pump, every grimace, and every look at the crowd was real. And he never toned down. Jack Nicklaus once said Seve’s body language alone was enough to shift the room.

David Feherty, a contemporary on the European Tour, now working at CBS, said it all began with Seve’s hands.

“He would hold a club so gently,” David Feherty said, “like it was holding a day-old bird.”

On May 7, he died in his home in Spain due to brain cancer. He was first diagnosed with it in 2008, and his three-year battle with cancer included four operations to treat the tumor.

The Legacy Seve Ballesteros Left Behind

Seve’s first grand victory was the Dutch Open, but as a 19-year-old, he tied for second with Jack Nicklaus, six behind Johnny Miller, with a stunning performance at the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. That is where it was the beginning of Nicklaus’s long-time admiration for him.

The Ryder Cup is where Seve burned brightest for European golf. He played eight times, accumulating 22.5 points in 37 matches. His partnership with fellow Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal remains the most successful pairing in the event’s history.

After Seve Ballesteros died, the 2012 European Ryder Cup team carried his iconic fist-pump silhouette on their bags at Medinah Country Club and went on to stage one of the greatest comebacks the sport has ever witnessed.

What Seve Ballesteros did for the game of golf is invaluable. But today, 15 years since his passing, the DP World Tour has also marked the day. The Estrella Damm Catalonia Championship at Real Club de Golf El Prat opened its first round on May 7th. It’s the same course where the 2011 Spanish Open was being played when the news of Seve’s passing broke.

Players, caddies, and officials today are invited to wear his trademark navy and white. And before the first tee shot, the starters stopped to honor his memory. His image will be displayed on the first tee and the 18th green throughout the day. And as the DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings said, “Seve is a hero all over the world.”

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