Severiano Ballesteros

Severiano Ballesteros
Seve Ballesteros 2006-07-19.jpg
Personal information
Full name Severiano Ballesteros Sota
Born 9 April 1957 (1957-04-09) (age 53)
Pedreña, Cantabria, Spain
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Nationality  Spain
Residence Marina de Cudeyo, Cantabria
Spouse Carmen Botín (1988-2004)
Children Javier (b.1990), Miguel (b.1992), Carmen (b.1994)
Career
Turned professional 1974
Retired 2007
Professional wins 91
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour 9
European Tour 50 (1st all time)
Japan Golf Tour 6
Other 36
Best results in Major Championships
(Wins: 5)
Masters Tournament Won: 1980, 1983
U.S. Open 3rd: 1987
The Open Championship Won: 1979, 1984, 1988
PGA Championship 5th: 1984
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame 1999 (member page)
European Tour
Order of Merit winner		 1976, 1977, 1978, 1986, 1988, 1991
European Tour
Player of the Year		 1986, 1988, 1991
This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Ballesteros and the second or maternal family name is Sota.

Severiano "Seve" Ballesteros Sota (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. He announced himself to the golfing world in 1976, when at age 19 he finished second at The Open Championship. A member of a gifted golfing family, Ballesteros won five major tournaments between the years of 1979 and 1988, including The Open Championship three times, and The Masters twice. He was also successful in the Ryder Cup, helping the European team to five wins both as a player and captain. He is best known for his great short game, and his erratic driving of the golf ball.

Due to 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 due to continued poor form, and subsequently suffered from a brain tumour. After reports that Ballesteros would make a return to the spotlight at the 2010 Open Championship, following the advice of doctors, he has subsequently indicated that he will not be traveling 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.

Contents

Career outline

Early life and career

Ballesteros was born in Pedreña, Cantabria, Spain. He learned the game while playing on the beaches near his home, at the time while he was supposed to be in school, 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 sixth in The Masters in 1965.[1] 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, and nephew Raúl are also professional golfers.[2][3][4]

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 at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. Ballesteros led by two shots after the third round, but a final round 74 saw him tie with Jack Nicklaus, six shots behind the winner Johnny Miller.[5][6] He went on to win the European Tour Order of Merit (money title) that year, a title that he would win six times, including the next two years, which was a record at that time (since surpassed by Colin Montgomerie).[7] Ballesteros won his first Open Championship in 1979 with a closing 70, a round in which he famously hit his tee shot into a car park on the 16th hole yet still made birdie.[8] 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.[9] He led the Official World Golf Rankings for a total of 61 weeks from 1986 to 1989.

Ballesteros went on to win five major championships: The Masters in 1980 and 1983, and The Open Championship in 1979, 1984 and 1988.[7] 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).[10] 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.[11]

He was also a great at match play; he won the World Match Play Championship five times, equalling Gary Player's record and was a mainstay of the European Ryder Cup team for much of the 1980s and 1990s. He scored 22½ points in 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.[12] 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.[13][14]

Late career and retirement

In 1999, Ballesteros was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, joining greats such as Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer.[15] He was instrumental in introducing the Seve Trophy in 2000, a team competition similar to the Ryder Cup pitting a team from Great Britain and Ireland against one from continental Europe.[16][17] 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.[18]

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.[19] Ballesteros has been the captain of the European team in the Royal Trophy since its inception in 2006.[20] He was announced again as non-playing captain of the 2008 European team to defend the Royal Trophy against the Asian team at the Amata Spring Country Club in Bangkok.[21][22]

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, bringing 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.[23]

Ballesteros is a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy.[24]

Brain tumour

Ballesteros was reported to be "gravely ill" and in a Madrid hospital on 10 October 2008.[25] Two days later, he confirmed that he had been diagnosed with a brain tumour.[26] On 15 October, Spanish news agency Efe reported that he had undergone a twelve hour surgery to resect the tumour. A hospital spokeswoman stated that surgeons had removed a sizable part of the tumour.[27] On 23 October, it was confirmed publicly that the tumour was classified as a cancerous oligoastrocytoma, and after a quick deterioration of his health, further surgery took place on 24 October to stabilize him and try to remove the remainder of the tumour. On 24 October, it was confirmed that the tumour was removed after a six and a half hour surgery. On 3 November, it was confirmed by the hospital that he was starting his rehabilitation in the intensive care unit, and was breathing steadily.[28][29] On 18 November, he was moved out of the intensive care unit and changed wards at Madrid's La Paz Hospital to continue his rehabilitation.[30][31]

Ballesteros was discharged from hospital on 9 December. He has returned home to northern Spain and is now undergoing chemotherapy treatment as an outpatient.[32] In January 2009 a message on his website said he had responded well to one course of chemotherapy.[33]

"I am very motivated and working hard although I am aware that my recovery will be slow and therefore I need to be patient and have a lot of determination. For these reasons I am following strictly all the instructions that the doctors are giving me. Besides, the physiotherapists are doing a great job on me and I feel better every day."

Ballesteros completed a second course of chemotherapy at Madrid's Le Paz Hospital in February 2009. Speaking through his website he said, "The results of the check-up were really positive, better even than the first ones." He finished a third round of treatment in March 2009.[34] and completed his fourth and final course of chemotherapy a month later.

In June, Ballesteros made his first public appearance after treatment for a brain tumor. He said it was a "miracle" to be alive and he thanked everyone who had been involved in his care and welfare.[35]

At his first public appearance, Ballesteros announced the launch of the 'Seve Ballesteros Foundation'. This foundation was set up to help those with cancer fight it. The foundation aims to research cancer, especially brain tumours, but it will also help financially challenged young golfers, so they can be as successful as him.

Professional wins (91)

European Tour wins (50)

Legend
Major Championships (5)
Other European Tour (45)
No. Date Tournament Winning Score Margin of
Victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 8 Aug 1976 Dutch Open -13 (65-73-68-69=275) 8 strokes England Howard Clark
2 8 May 1977 Open de France -6 (69-70-71-72=282) 3 strokes South Africa John Bland, Spain Antonio Garrido,
Spain Manuel Piñero, Australia Ian Stanley
3 25 Jun 1977 Uniroyal International Championship -12 (70-70-67-69=276) Playoff England Nick Faldo
4 17 Jul 1977 Swiss Open -7 (68-66-70-69=273) 3 strokes United States John Schroeder
5 21 May 1978 Martini International -18 (67-67-67-69=268) 5 strokes England Nick Faldo
6 30 Jul 1978 Braun German Open -20 (64-67-70-67=268) 2 strokes England Neil Coles
7 6 Aug 1978 Scandinavian Enterprise Open -9 (73-69-68-69=279) 1 stroke South Africa Dale Hayes
8 3 Sep 1978 Swiss Open -8 (68-68-68-68=272) 3 strokes Spain Manuel Piñero
9 1 Jul 1979 Lada English Golf Classic -2 (73-71-71-71=286) 6 strokes England Neil Coles, South Africa Simon Hobday
10 21 Jul 1979 The Open Championship -1 (73-65-75-70=283) 3 strokes United States Ben Crenshaw, United States Jack Nicklaus
11 13 Apr 1980 Masters Tournament -13 (66-69-68-72=275) 4 strokes United States Gibby Gilbert, Australia Jack Newton
12 27 Apr 1980 Madrid Open -18 (68-63-70-69=270) 3 strokes Spain Manuel Piñero
13 18 May 1980 Martini International -2 (74-75-67-70=286) 1 stroke Scotland Brian Barnes
14 27 Jul 1980 Dutch Open -8 (69-75-65-71=280) 3 strokes Scotland Sandy Lyle
15 5 Jul 1981 Scandinavian Enterprise Open -11 (69-70-68-66=273) 5 strokes Spain Antonio Garrido
16 4 Oct 1981 Benson and Hedges Spanish Open -15 (71-67-70-65=273) 1 stroke Scotland Steve Martin
17 25 Apr 1982 Cepsa Madrid Open -15 (70-69-66-68=273) 1 stroke Spain José Maria Cañizares
18 9 May 1982 Paco Rabanne Open de France -10 (71-70-72-65=278) 4 strokes Scotland Sandy Lyle
19 11 Apr 1983 Masters Tournament -8 (68-70-73-69=280) 4 strokes United States Ben Crenshaw, United States Tom Kite
20 30 May 1983 Sun Alliance PGA Championship -10 (69-71-67-71=278) 2 strokes Scotland Ken Brown
21 14 Aug 1983 Carroll's Irish Open -17 (67-67-70-67=271) 2 strokes Scotland Brian Barnes
22 2 Oct 1983 Lancome Trophy -19 (71-65-64-69=269) 4 strokes United States Corey Pavin
23 22 Jul 1984 The Open Championship -12 (69-68-70-69=276) 2 strokes West Germany Bernhard Langer, United States Tom Watson
24 23 Jun 1985 Carroll's Irish Open -10 (70-69-73-66=278) Playoff West Germany Bernhard Langer
25 7 Jul 1985 Peugeot Open de France -21 (62-68-6469=263) 2 strokes Scotland Sandy Lyle
26 22 Sep 1985 Sanyo Open -16 (66-70-65-71=272) 3 strokes South Africa Jeff Hawkes
27 27 Oct 1985 Benson and Hedges Spanish Open -14 (67-68-65-66=266) 4 strokes Scotland Gordon Brand Jnr
28 8 Jun 1986 Dunhill British Masters -13 (67-68-70-70=275) 2 strokes Scotland Gordon Brand Jnr
29 22 Jun 1986 Carroll's Irish Open -3 (68-75-68-74=285) 2 strokes Australia Rodger Davis, Zimbabwe Mark McNulty
30 28 Jun 1986 Johnnie Walker Monte Carlo Open -11 (66-71-64-64=265) 2 strokes Zimbabwe Mark McNulty
31 7 Jul 1986 Peugeot Open de France -19 (65-66-69-69=269) 2 strokes Argentina Vicente Fernández
32 27 Jul 1986 KLM Dutch Open -17 (69-63-71-68=271) 8 strokes Spain José Rivero
33 19 Oct 1986 Lancome Trophy -14 (67-69-68-70=274) Playoff West Germany Bernhard Langer
34 19 Apr 1987 Suze Open -13 (69-70-68-68=275) Playoff Wales Ian Woosnam
35 13 Mar 1988 Mallorca Open de Baleares -16 (70-68-67-67=272) 6 strokes Spain José María Olazábal
36 17 Jul 1988 The Open Championship -11 (67-71-70-65=273) 2 strokes Zimbabwe Nick Price
37 31 Jul 1988 Scandinavian Enterprise Open -18 (67-70-66-67=270) 5 strokes Australia Gerry Taylor
38 28 Aug 1988 German Open -21 (68-68-65-62=263) 5 strokes Scotland Gordon Brand Jnr
39 18 Sept 1988 Lancome Trophy -15 (64-66-68-71=269) 4 strokes Spain José María Olazábal
40 23 Apr 1989 Cepsa Madrid Open -16 (67-67-69-69=272) 1 stroke England Howard Clark
41 7 May 1989 Epson Grand Prix of Europe
Matchplay Championship		 4 & 3 England Denis Durnian
42 3 Sep 1989 Ebel European Masters Swiss Open -14 (65-68-66-67=266) 2 strokes Australia Craig Parry
43 11 Mar 1990 Open Renault de Baleares -19 (66-65-70-68=269) Playoff Sweden Magnus Persson
44 27 May 1991 Volvo PGA Championship -17 (67-69-65-70=271) Playoff Scotland Colin Montgomerie
45 2 Jun 1991 Dunhill British Masters -13 (66-66-68-75=275) 3 strokes Republic of Ireland Eamonn Darcy, England David Gilford,
Zimbabwe Tony Johnstone, Scotland Sam Torrance,
England Keith Waters
46 9 Feb 1992 Dubai Desert Classic -16 (66-67-69-70=272) Playoff Northern Ireland Ronan Rafferty
47 8 Mar 1992 Turespana Open de Baleares -11 (70-70-69-68=277) Playoff Sweden Jesper Parnevik
48 8 May 1994 Benson & Hedges International Open -7 (69-70-72-70=281) 3 strokes England Nick Faldo
49 3 Oct 1994 Mercedes German Masters -18 (68-70-65-67=270) Playoff South Africa Ernie Els, Spain José María Olazábal
50 21 May 1995 Peugeot Spanish Open -14 (70-67-66-71=274) 2 strokes Spain Ignacio Garrido, Spain José Rivero

PGA Tour wins (9)

Legend
Major Championships (5)
Regular PGA Tour (4)
No. Date Tournament Winning Score Margin of Victory Runner(s)-up
1 2 Apr 1978 Greater Greensboro Open -6 (72-75-69-66=282) 1 stroke United States Jack Renner, United States Fuzzy Zoeller
2 21 Jul 1979 The Open Championship -1 (73-65-75-70=283) 3 strokes United States Ben Crenshaw
3 13 Apr 1980 Masters Tournament -13 (66-69-68-72=275) 4 strokes United States Gibby Gilbert, Australia Jack Newton
4 11 Apr 1983 Masters Tournament -8 (68-70-73-69=280) 4 strokes United States Ben Crenshaw, United States Tom Kite
5 12 Jun 1983 Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic -12 (69-67-70-70=276) 2 strokes United States Andy Bean, United States Craig Stadler
6 22 Jul 1984 The Open Championship -12 (69-68-70-69=276) 2 strokes Germany Bernhard Langer, United States Tom Watson
7 17 May 1985 USF&G Classic* -11 (67-69-68=205) 2 strokes United States Peter Jacobsen, United States John Mahaffey
8 12 Jun 1988 Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic -12 (69-68-69-67=276) Playoff South Africa David Frost,
United States Ken Green, Australia Greg Norman
9 17 Jul 1988 The Open Championship -11 (67-71-70-65=273) 2 strokes Zimbabwe Nick Price

*Note: The 1985 USF&G Classic was reduced to 54 holes due to inclement weather

Japan Golf Tour wins (6)

Other wins (31)

Major championships

Wins (5)

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 United States Jack Nicklaus, United States Ben Crenshaw
1980 Masters Tournament 7 shot lead -13 (66-69-68-72=275) 4 strokes United States Gibby Gilbert, Australia Jack Newton
1983 Masters Tournament (2) 1 shot deficit -8 (68-70-73-69=280) 4 strokes United States Ben Crenshaw, United States Tom Kite
1984 The Open Championship (2) 2 shot deficit -12 (69-68-70-69=276) 2 strokes United States Tom Watson, Germany Bernhard Langer
1988 The Open Championship (3) 2 shot deficit -11 (67-71-70-65=273) 2 strokes Zimbabwe Nick Price

Results timeline

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.

Summary of major championship performances

Team appearances

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ "Seve Ballesteros Golf Legends". www.golflegends.org. http://www.golflegends.org/seve-ballesteros.php. Retrieved 2008-02-07. 
  2. ↑ "Seve Ballesteros Biography". www.biography.com. http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9197120. Retrieved 2008-02-07. 
  3. ↑ "Severiano Ballesteros". Golfing Greats. http://golfinggreats.info/severiano-ballesteros.php. Retrieved 2008-02-07. 
  4. ↑ "Ballesteros graces San Roque leaderboard - but it's not Seve". Reuters. http://www.europeantour.com/default.sps?pageid=127&pagegid=%7BAEFB93B0%2DEFF5%2D4C05%2DAB0F%2DFD08D947D944%7D&eventid=2006032&infosid=3&pageno=1&reportid=52679. Retrieved 2008-01-13. 
  5. ↑ "Results for 1976, Royal Birkdale". OpenGolf.com. http://www.opengolf.com/history/past_results.sps?tourn=1976014. Retrieved 2008-01-13. 
  6. ↑ "Miller and Ballesteros battle for the Open title". OpenGolf.com. http://www.opengolf.com/history/past_opens.sps?PartNo=105. Retrieved 2008-02-06. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "European Team Captain - Seve Ballesteros". www.theroyaltrophy.com. http://www.theroyaltrophy.com/site_2006/EUROPE/seve.html. Retrieved 2008-01-13. 
  8. ↑ "Adios Amigos!,". Golf.com. http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,1852421-2,00.html. 
  9. ↑ "The Official World Golf Ranking 1986-2000". www.golftoday.co.uk. http://www.golftoday.co.uk/tours/rankings/history.html. Retrieved 2007-01-19. 
  10. ↑ Bowser, Betty Ann. "Year of the Tiger". PBS. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/sports/tiger_4-14.html. Retrieved 2008-01-19. 
  11. ↑ "World Golf Hall of Fame Member Profile". World Golf Hall of Fame. http://www.wgv.com/hof/member.php?member=1020. Retrieved 2008-01-19. 
  12. ↑ Kelley, Brent. "Biography of golfer Seve Ballesteros". About.com. http://golf.about.com/od/golfersmen/p/seveballesteros.htm. Retrieved 2007-01-19. 
  13. ↑ "Ryder Cup: Past Results". The PGA of America, Ryder Cup Limited, and Turner Sports Interactive. http://www.rydercup.com/2008/europe/history/past_results.html. Retrieved 2008-01-19. 
  14. ↑ "1997 Ryder Cup". The PGA of America, Ryder Cup Limited, and Turner Sports Interactive. http://www.rydercup.com/2008/europe/history/results/1997.html. Retrieved 2008-01-19. 
  15. ↑ "PLUS: GOLF -- HALL OF FAME; 3 Members Named". The New York Times. 1999-03-23. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9800E1D81131F930A15750C0A96F958260. Retrieved 2008-02-12. 
  16. ↑ "Seve Trophy 2005: Seve Ballesteros". www.seve-trophy.com. http://www.sevetrophy2005.com/en/seveballesteros.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-19. 
  17. ↑ "Laois County Council - Seve Trophy 2007". Laois County Council. http://www.laois.ie/LeisureandCulture/Tourism/CalendarofEventsampFestivals/SeveTrophy2007/. Retrieved 2008-01-19. 
  18. ↑ Yocom, Guy (July 2000). "50 Greatest Golfers of All Time: And What They Taught Us". Golf Digest. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HFI/is_7_51/ai_63015233. Retrieved 2007-12-05. 
  19. ↑ Corrigan, James (2007-07-17). "Ballesteros calls time on competitive career after 32 years". London: Independent News and Media Ltd.. http://sport.independent.co.uk/golf/article2776159.ece. Retrieved 2008-01-20. 
  20. ↑ "Royal Trophy 2006". www.theroyaltrophy.com. http://www.theroyaltrophy.com/site_2006/home.html. Retrieved 2008-01-19. 
  21. ↑ "The Royal Trophy 2008". www.theroyaltrophy.com. http://www.theroyaltrophy.com/site_2008/team.html. Retrieved 2008-01-19. 
  22. ↑ "Amata Spring Country Club". www.theroyaltrophy.com. http://www.theroyaltrophy.com/site_2008/course.html. Retrieved 2008-01-19. 
  23. ↑ "Ballesteros retires after failed try on Champions Tour". ESPN.com. 2007-07-16. http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/britishopen07/news/story?id=2938199. Retrieved 2007-07-16. 
  24. ↑ Lareus official website.
  25. ↑ Severiano Ballesteros 'gravely ill' in hospital
  26. ↑ Seve confirms brain tumour
  27. ↑ Ballesteros undergoes brain surgery
  28. ↑ "Ballesteros brain tumor is cancerous". Associated Press. 2008-10-23. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jaTFsFjsgtFFuPNMMIc3wu6AjYgAD940B9HO1. Retrieved 2008-10-23. 
  29. ↑ "Ballesteros 'stable' after third brain op". CNN. 2008-10-24. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SPORT/golf/10/24/golf.ballesteros.tumor/index.html. Retrieved 2008-10-24. 
  30. ↑ Ballesteros leaves intensive care ward
  31. ↑ Ballesteros leaves intensive care
  32. ↑ Ballesteros leaves hospital in Madrid
  33. ↑ Ballesteros says he is recovering well after chemotherapy
  34. ↑ Seve Ballesteros to undergo fourth round of chemotherapy
  35. ↑ Lowe, Sid (2009-07-18). "Seve Ballesteros grateful for 'free shot' at life after brain tumour". London: The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/jun/25/seve-ballesteros-public-appearance-brain-tumour. Retrieved 2010-05-23. 

External links

World Number ones since 1986

Seve Ballesteros | Fred Couples | David Duval | Ernie Els | Nick Faldo | Bernhard Langer | Tom Lehman | Greg Norman | Nick Price | Vijay Singh | Lee Westwood* | Tiger Woods | Ian Woosnam 

*Lee Westwood (ENG) is the current World No. 1.
European Tour Order of Merit winners
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 • 2008 Robert Karlsson • 2009 Lee Westwood • 2010 Martin Kaymer
European Tour Golfer of the Year
1985 Bernhard Langer • 1986 Seve Ballesteros • 1987 Ian Woosnam • 1988 Seve Ballesteros • 1989 Nick Faldo • 1990 Nick Faldo • 1991 Seve Ballesteros • 1992 Nick Faldo • 1993 Bernhard Langer • 1994 Ernie Els • 1995 Colin Montgomerie • 1996 Colin Montgomerie • 1997 Colin Montgomerie • 1998 Lee Westwood • 1999 Colin Montgomerie • 2000 Lee Westwood • 2001 Retief Goosen • 2002 Ernie Els • 2003 Ernie Els • 2004 Vijay Singh • 2005 Michael Campbell • 2006 Paul Casey • 2007 Pádraig Harrington • 2008 Pádraig Harrington • 2009 Lee Westwood • 2010 Martin Kaymer & Graeme McDowell (shared)