Seve Ballesteros Biography
Severiano Ballesteros Sota was born in Pedrena, Spain on the 9th April 1957. Known as Seve to everyone, this is a short biography of the golfing legend.
Born into a family of golfing professionals he took to the game like a duck to water. His brother gave him cut down golf club and he would use it to practice on the local course or at the beach. He won his first trophy at the age of 12 when he entered a caddies tournament in Pedrena.
He turned professional at the age of 16 but it was two years later that he came to the worlds attention when he placed joint second with Jack Nicklaus at the Open.
In 1979 at the age of 22 he finally claimed the Open title and became one of the youngest winners. He went on to become the first European to win the Masters in Augusta in 1980 and again in 1983. A second Open title came in 1984. He won his final major in 1980.
In 1979 Ballesteros played in the Ryder Cup for the first time when players from continental Europe were also invited to play alongside the British and Irish players.
There was controversy when he was left out of the team in 1981 but he played again in 1983 starting a new era in European Ryder Cup success. In 1985 the Europeans won for the first time in 28 years against the Americans. Seve’s pairing with Jose Maria Olazabal is still the most successful partnership in the Ryder Cups history.
He was elected captain of the European Cup side in 1997 when it was held for the first time on Spanish soil, leading them to victory.
In the early 00′s, Bellesteros began to suffer with back and knee problems, causing him to take a two year break before returning a shadow of his former self in 2005.
In 2007, Bellesteros announced his retirement from professional golf at the event he had made his debut at the beginning of his career.
Read more about Seve Bellesteros here.
Photo: Peter
