Seve Ballesteros at Augusta in Spirit
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By Mark Reason in Augusta
The winner of the 1980 and 1983 Masters is still at home in Spain fighting cancer, but he sent a message to the champions dinner. Jose Maria Olazabal, fittingly seated between Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, read out Ballesteros’s words.
Sandy Lyle, champion in 1988, said: “It’s the first time Seve hasn’t been there. And JMO did very well in reading out the note in pure English. It was a little emotional at times and then when he had finished, the room went very quiet for a few seconds before we all applauded.”
Olazabal said: “It was very emotional. Quite a few players came up to me after the dinner and asked if they could have a copy, so I will get it photocopied and I will place one in each locker of every player who was at the dinner.”
Fuzzy Zoeller, the 1979 champion, said: “Seve sent a note about his memories of Augusta, missing being here and missing the guys who are here.”
Even 26 years after his last victory, Seve still defines the Masters for European golf.
Ballesteros was the man who brought an American spectacle back home. He was the man who twice destroyed a world-class field by four strokes.
He was the man who allowed Nick Faldo and Lyle and Ian Woosnam and Bernhard Langer and Olazabal to believe it was possible.
Is it still possible? No European has won the Masters this millennium. Olazabal was the last in 1999 and Faldo remains the only Englishman.
But say that to Olazabal and you start to believe that anything is possible. He has seen the future.
When he was in Dubai at the start of the year, Olazabal went to watch Rory McIlroy hit balls on the range. Very rarely will a pro go to watch another pro, but when Olazabal saw McIlroy, he saw a swing of beauty.
Olazabal says: “The arch, it is incredible, yet there are so few moving parts. That is the thing.” The other day Olazabal saw Mark O’Meara and McIlroy walking down the fourth hole during a practice round.
“Like Tiger?” he called out. “Yes,” replied O’Meara.
Not like Tiger now, you understand, but like Tiger when he came on tour. Back then Woods was the big beast. He could smash it past anyone. These days the knees are creaking. Woods cannot hook it round the dogleg of the 13th any more.
But McIlroy can hit his tee shot over the tree overhanging the corner of the dogleg. It is a whole new ball game. There is a story from years past. Sam Snead and Tom Weiskopf were standing on the 13th tee. Snead said wistfully: “I used to be able to hit it over those trees.”
Weiskopf took the bait, wound up the muscles and let pop. The ball climbed and climbed, caught the top of the trees and fell to earth. Snead said: “Of course they were much shorter back then.”
But McIlroy can clout it over the trees and Alvaro Quiros can hit it even further. The kids are coming, but they are not quite here yet. The men we expect to contend are much older.
Woods is 33, Phil Mickelson is 38, Padraig Harrington is 37. Even the English contingent, who once seemed so full of youthful promise, is now 30 or approaching its borders.
The likes of Paul Casey, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Justin Rose have a real chance this week, but at their age Ballesteros had already done it all. This place misses his swagger.
A couple of weeks ago George O’Grady, the head of the European Tour, went to see Ballesteros at his home in Spain. A thinner Seve came out wrapped in bandages and sunglasses and hit his first three shots since the cancer took hold.
O’Grady says: “They were perfect. There was no hurry to the swing. They all landed in a tiny circle. Perfect.”
Woods conquered Augusta and made them change the course. But Ballesteros was always a part of the place. Even now you can see the dark fire in his eyes, see him at the top of the hill, waiting for the magic to explode.
