MADRID, (Reuters) – Seve Ballesteros, one of golf’s greatest and most charismatic players, died today at the age of 54 following a long battle with cancer, his family said.
The Spaniard, who won five major titles and inspired a generation of players worldwide, died peacefully at 0210 local time surrounded by his family at his home in Pedrena, northern Spain, after four operations on a brain tumour diagnosed in late 2008.
World number one Lee Westwood described Ballesteros as an “inspiration, genius, role model, hero and friend,” in one of many warm tributes paid on Saturday.
“Seve made European golf what it is today,” Westwood added on his Twitter feed. “RIP Seve.”
Many players competing in the Spanish Open in Terrassa today wore black ribbons in tribute to Ballesteros, while organisers prepared to mark his death with a minute’s silence at 1445 local time (1245 GMT).
The flags at the course were flying at half-mast, while Jose Maria Olazabal and Miguel Angel Jimenez embraced on the practice range at the start of the day as they remembered their friend and fellow Spaniard.
Four-times major champion Phil Mickelson highlighted the flair and charisma of Ballesteros as his defining characteristics.
“Because of the way he played the game of golf, you were drawn to him,” Mickelson said at Quail Hollow Championship in North Carolina.
“You wanted to go watch him play. He had charisma and he kind of had so many shots that it was fun to watch him play.”
A winner of three British Opens and two Masters titles, Ballesteros also helped revive Europe’s fortunes in the Ryder Cup, breathing new life into the team competition against the United States.
He won 87 titles worldwide, 50 of them on the European Tour, and had the great satisfaction of captaining Europe to Ryder Cup victory at Valderrama in Spain in 1997.
European Tour chief executive George O’Grady said Ballesteros had been an inspiration as a player and a man.
“Seve’s unique legacy must be the inspiration he has given to so many to watch, support, and play golf, and finally to fight a cruel illness with equal flair, passion, and fierce determination,” O’Grady said in a statement.
“We have all been so blessed to live in his era. He was the inspiration behind the European Tour.”
The tumour was originally discovered after Ballesteros collapsed at Madrid airport and was rushed to a nearby hospital.
“Today, at 2.10 a.m. Spanish time, Seve Ballesteros passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at his home in Pedrena,” the family said on Saturday in a statement on the player’s personal website (www.seveballesteros.com).
