Remembering Seve

Jack Nicklaus
“Today, golf lost a great champion and a great friend. We also lost a great entertainer and ambassador for our sport. I have always had wonderful respect for Seve’s ability, how he played the game, and the flare he brought to the sport while achieving the success he did. It was his creativity, his imagination, and his desire to compete that made him so popular not only in Europe but throughout American galleries, too. He was a great entertainer. No matter the golf that particular day, you always knew you were going to be entertained. Seve’s enthusiasm was just unmatched by anybody I think that ever played the game. Seve was, without argument, a terrific player -his record speaks for itself- but more important was his influence on the game, especially throughout Europe. Through the years, his involvement with the Ryder Cup, as both a player and captain, served to further elevate the stature of the matches. He was probably the most passionate Ryder Cup player that we’ve ever had”.
Ramón Sota

“Seve had magic in his hands. His bunker shots cannot be described in any other way. I remember the British Open at Royal Lytham Saint Annes where it is said that there are as many bunkers as days in the year. A four day competition, 72 holes, and on every occasion his ball found a bunker he always got it -up and down-. This is something to be seen to believe”.

Nick Faldo

“The Cirque du Soleil is the greatest show I’ve ever seen. It’s passion, artistry, skill, it’s drama. That was Seve. You had to stand back and admire it. I was a fan and so fortunate I had a front-row seat”.

Seve y Colin Montgomerie
Colin Montgomerie

“It has been an honour to play with Seve and an honour to play under him as a Captain. There are very few legends in the world, Seve is one of them. I never saw such a talent to swing a golf club, and we may never see it again”.

José María Olazábal

“What impressed most in Seve was his strength, his fighting spirit and the passion he put into everything he did. The best tribute we can pay to Seve is to go on playing for him, although no tribute will ever do justice to everything he did for golf and to everything he gave us. My first memory of Seve goes back to 1983 or 1984. I was an amateur, and he called me to play in a charity event. It was a big surprise and I was very excited. It’s hard to choose one of the many moments that I lived with him, but surely the most cherished are Ryder Cup moments, particular the 1987 edition”.

Phil Mickelson

“Seve was the guy I wanted to play a practice round with the most. When I played my first PGA Tour event in San Diego in 1988, Ernie Gonzales arranged a practice round with him. From that day on, he couldn’t have been nicer to me. We had a great round of golf. He showed me a few things, showed me a few shots. He’s certainly had an impact on the game. But to me the greatest thing about Seve was his flair and charisma. Because of the way he played the game of golf, you were drawn to him. You wanted to go watch him play”.

José Antonio Rozadilla

“Seve worked very hard. I do not know if there has been any other player who has been more regular in his training… He was tireless, he came here and hit balls from dawn to dusk. We played the course many times and though we just played for a tee, a ball or a glove, he had the same determination as in a Major. Playing with him demanded great concentration, we hardly ever spoke during the round, we just played golf. We played together in the Spanish Open in Barcelona and it was a unique experience that I will never forget. Seve has been the greatest. He had an imagination which made him the best. I could not stop watching him to learn from him”.

Seve y Miguel Angel Jimenez
Miguel Ángel Jiménez
“He was outstanding for his determination and his passion in everything he did. He never gave up, he always found a way out, and this was reflected in his personality. I have lived so many moments with him that it’s hard to choose one. I would maybe highlight the 1997 Ryder Cup, where I was his assistant. It was a truly special week. I loved to watch him fulfil one of his dreams and enjoy it so much. Seve’s passion for the Ryder Cup was unique”.
Sergio García
“He has inspired me so much throughout my career, and I admired him above all for his fighting spirit – never more so than in the manner in which he has battled this terrible illness. The loss of this great man leaves an enormous void in the world of sport, although he will be remembered and loved forever. He was a champion on the golf course, but also a champion for the game in Spain and in Europe”.
Pau Gasol

“A great athtlete and someone who has been an example of hard work, fighting spirit and a Spanish banner in sport all over the world. He was one of the first to brake down barriers for those of us who came later. It is never late when it is true and for someone like him. Thanks Seve for everything.”

Seve y Manuel Pineiro
Manuel Piñero
“Golf cannot be understood without Severiano Ballesteros nor probably Seve without golf, his life, his passion. In my opinion there have been three legends in the history of golf: Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan and Severiano Ballesteros. Each one in his time and his own style, but the three of them essential to understand the development of this sport. Ballesteros was an idol all over the world. No only did they learn to love him in Spain but they also loved him in the British Isles and when he visited Japan people went crazy. Seve made it possible for Europe to compete on equal terms at the Ryder Cup and changed the competition forever. His legacy is in his shots. Nobody like him put his soul on each shot, and this is something he was able to pass on to everyone”.
Ian Poulter
“I will remember his words for the rest of my life. I feel trully honoured to have been able to get to know Seve and called him a friend. To play golf with him and watch him and learn from a true genius”.
George O’Grady
“It is a very sad day for all who love golf. 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. We have all been so blessed to live in his era. He was the inspiration behind the European Tour”.
Rafa Nadal
“It’s a sad day in general for Spain, for the world of sport. I think that he was one of the best golf players in history. He was one of the best athletes that this country has ever had. He was a pioneer. He was one of the first big athletes that we have had in Spain. I had the chance of playing 18 holes with him and it’s an unforgettable memory”.
Miguel Indurain
“It is an enormous loss for international sport. He always lived his career with great passion”.
Tiger Woods
“Seve was one of the most talented and exciting golfers to ever play the game. His creativity and inventiveness on the golf course may never be surpassed. I have never seen anyone who has had a better short game than him. I always enjoyed spending time with him at the Champions Dinner at the Masters”.
Pablo Larrazábal
“He was very emotional and played with passion. You have to put things into perspective to assess all he has done for golf. In some way, he will never die”.
Rory McIlroy
“You could still feel his passion and his verve, not just for the Ryder Cup, but for golf. He was huge. He was very loyal to the European Tour and to Europe. You could still feel his passion for the game”.
Ben Crenshaw
“Seve plays shots I don’t even see in my dreams”.
Lee Trevino
“Every generation or so there emerges a golfer who is a little bit better than anybody else. I believe Ballesteros is one of them. On a golf course he’s got everything. I mean everything: touch, power, know-how, courage and charisma”.