Seve Ballesteros Recovering from Brain Tumor, Partially Paralyzed

The 150th Anniversary British Open begins this week and one former champion who will be missed is Spanish great Severiano Ballesteros.  In 2008, after he fainted at the Madrid airport, he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.  His treatment has been grueling and today he is partially paralyzed on his left side and has lost more than 75% of the vision in his left eye.  Even so, he plays golf regularly on his private 9-hole course.  He had originally planned to play in the British Open, then hoped to at least tee off with 44 other champions in the Champions Challenge on Wednesday.  However, on his doctor's advice, the three-time winner he will not be at St. Andrews.

I was in the gallery at the Augusta National and watched as Seve won the 1983 Masters, his second victory there.  Here's how today's New York Times describes that amazing day:

"At his best, Severiano Ballesteros played golf in bursts of genius. At the 1983 Masters, he teed off in the final round a stroke behind Raymond Floyd and Craig Stadler, and a stroke ahead of Tom Watson, but with a birdie-eagle-par-birdie start (four holes, only 12 strokes, thank you), he soared into the lead, shot a 69 and won by four.


“It was like being knocked down twice in the first round with the three-knockdown rule,” Watson said later.

The details were even more dazzling. Driver, 7-iron to 8 feet, one putt on the first hole; driver, 4-wood to 15 feet, one putt on the second; 3-wood, 7-iron to 15 feet, two putts on the third; 2-iron to 2 feet, one putt on the fourth. That’s how the dashing Spaniard known worldwide as Seve played golf when he was slipping his arms into a green jacket twice at Augusta National and raising the claret jug three times at the British Open."