Arnold Palmer, Ben Crenshaw, Olazabal pay rich tributes to late Seve Ballesteros at Champions Dinner Part-1
The star studded Champions Dinner at the historic Augusta National Clubhouse, fell into a deafening silence when the top-50 players from all over the world paid a rich tribute to the first European winner of the Masters, the late Severiano Ballesteros.
Some of the top-ranked Spaniards showered their praise for the former giant of the sport who clinched the title for the first time in 1980 to become the first Spaniard and a European to bag the coveted title.
This year’s Ryder Cup Captain Jose Maria Olazabal, who made a blistering duo with the late Ballesteros as they went over to thrash the American teams so many times in the Ryder Cup, commended Ballesteros’ contribution to the Spanish golf.
Olazabal said, "There is always a mention during the dinner of the players who have passed away in the year just gone. I imagine he would be coming here every year and how many practice rounds he would have been able to play with young players and share
that knowledge and information with those players”.
Ballesteros was diagnosed with brain tumour at the end of 2008 after which he decided to keep a low profile and was rarely seen in any of the sporting events.
His illness came to the fore when he fainted while boarding a plane in Germany and was shuttled to hospital.
He was later diagnosed with the disease and went through several wide open surgeries. He passed away last year, bringing an end to a glorious chapter in the history of Spanish golf.
Ballesteros was the youngest winner of the green jacket at the age of 23 at that time and his masterful strokes stunned the players at the field.
He was not just an exceptional putter, he created shots that were hard to imagine.
Olazabal added, “Even though we have video footage of him with his magical shots and those special moments from the trees or chipping around the greens, you actually don’t have the person himself”.
Also present on the occasion, were the golfing legends of the likes of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Ben Crenshaw who paid homage to the swashbuckling Ballesteros at the dinner.
to be continued...
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