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Saturday's Sporting Icon - Seve Ballesteros

Welcome to Saturday's Sporting Icon! 


Every Saturday, this page will showcase some of history's most unappreciated sports superstars. From the winding streets of Monaco to the NBA hardcourt, I think it's time to shed some light on the greatness of some of the world's least treasured icons.

Saturday 16th January - Seve Ballesteros 

Born in the small town of Pedrena (Spain), Ballesteros grew to be the heartbeat of golf in continental Europe and started at the age of 12, borrowing his brother's clubs, playing on the local beach, and sneaking onto the exclusive golf courses to play in the moonlight. This was a passion and determination for success was soon rewarded as Ballesteros turned pro at the age of 16 and began a journey that would inspire a whole generation of young golfers and professional athletes. 

In a career that spanned over 3 decades, Ballesteros was victorious in 93 professional tournaments, becoming one of the most successful golfers of all time. These victories included 5 majors, 3 British Opens, 3 US Masters, 5 World-Match Series, 2 World Cups, and 1 Ryder Cup (in which he captained the side). He was the first European to ever obtain the famed Green Jacket and every time his small hometown caught word of another Ballesteros victory, they would ring the town bell in celebration. 

His pure genius and unique backswing on the golf course was something that had a great impact on current golfing legends such as Tiger Woods and Rory Mcilroy and paved the way for the popularisation of the sport in both Spain and the rest of Europe. In 2000 he was presented with Spain's 'Athlete of the Century Award' and retired during the 2007 British Open at the age of 50. But this isn't where his influence stopped as Ballesteros constantly tried to impact the lives of others outside of sport, setting up the Seve Ballesteros Foundation in 2009 to contribute to cancer research as well as aid young golfers in building their own professional careers and promote the correct values which that entails. 

Seve Ballesteros died on May 7th, 2011 after a prolonged battle with a brain tumor. His funeral was attended by a number of golfing legends such as Nick Faldo and Colin Montgomerie who led the procession in Ballesteros' hometown of Pedrena. In his 54 years, Seve Ballesteros demonstrated to the world the roles and responsibilities each professional athlete has and showed the potential effect they can have on their sport. With his blend of ultimate competitiveness, skill, and passion, he truly became the embodiment of 20th-century sport and is a model that today's professional athletes should aspire to be. 



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Comments

  1. Stevo 57January 16, 2021 at 11:29 AM

    Fabulous Seve , one of my true heroes without a doubt.
    Watch and learn now on YouTube !!

    ReplyDelete

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