SEVE BALLESTEROS COULDN’T MAKE the trip to St. Andrews for the reunion with 20 some odd other British Open champions. His doctors wouldn’t allow it. His health is too fragile. Nonetheless, there have been many Seve tributes this week, some that could bring a statue to tears. Rightly so.
Anyone who saw Seve play in his prime would no doubt remember his charisma, fieriness, imagination and unbridled emotion. Whether or not he was among someone’s favorites, there was no denying that Seve was a singular player who left his mark on the sport.
The above short clip is Exhibit A. Seve holed out on the final green of the 1984 British Open at the Old Course. He was the year’s champion golfer, his second of three Open crowns, and his reaction was pure joy. It’s a good way to remember him.
−The Armchair Golfer
I love that clip. Seve is the first golfer I "fell in love with" as a youngster. I remember a cover story about him in Golf Digest – I think when he was just 19 or 20. I remember he complained that whenever he hits the ball wildly off the tee, "Everybody go click-click" (making a picture-taking motion). But nobody noticed when he hit it in the fairway. And, of course, how can you beat his classic four-putt explanation: "I miss, I miss, I miss, I make." God bless you, Seve. Get well soon.
The four-putt explanation is my favorite Seve quote. Love that.