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While Seve Ballesteros, the greatest scrambler the game of golf has ever seen, was waging his most challenging scramble of all — against brain cancer — it had been a while since he had been seen by the golfing public.
There was a desperate hope Ballesteros would be able to attend the British Open last July at St. Andrews, the place he might be adored most, to be a part of a special past-champions exhibition. But he was not well enough to travel.
Then, as the Masters approached last month, defending champion Phil Mickelson reached out to Seve to see if he would be able to make the Tuesday night Champions Dinner because he wanted to honor one of his heroes by serving a traditional Spanish menu.
Again, Ballesteros was not well enough to travel.
Since Ballesteros was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2008, there were only occasional reports from his close friends, such as Jose Maria Olazabal, about how he was faring back home in Spain.
Last month, at a European Tour dinner in Augusta, when asked about Seve, the pain in Olazabal’s face was obvious.
Now Ballesteros, who died Friday at 54, is gone. But his presence will be a part of the game forever.
From PGA Tour pros to 20-something handicappers, if you’ve scrambled for par or better from the trees, a parking lot or a swimming pool in someone’s back yard, it always will be known as a “Seve-like save.”
Nick Faldo called Ballesteros’ style “Cirque du Soleil on golf.”
Mickelson, one of the greatest players of this era, has conceded that he, perhaps subconsciously, modeled his game after Seve’s, and it’s no accident Mickelson is the greatest scrambler of this generation.
“I seem to put myself in a lot of the same spots,” Mickelson said.
“He was the guy I wanted to play a practice round with the most,” Mickelson said.
Few who follow the game will ever forget the flair Ballesteros brought to the game. Few will forget how tenacious and passionate Ballesteros was as a competitor.
The first Ryder Cup I ever covered was in 1997 at Valderrama, the first time the event had ever been held in Spain, thanks, of course, to Ballesteros’ influence.
It was there where I was awestruck by how Ballesteros, without a club in his hands, willed the Europeans to victory over the Americans with his aggressive, hands-on captaining style.
Ballesteros won 87 times around the world, including five majors, and will go down as perhaps the greatest player in Ryder Cup history, winning 20 points in 37 matches in his eight Ryder Cups.
But more important than his remarkable statistical accomplishments is this: Ballesteros was to European golf what Arnold Palmer was to American golf — it’s most important figure in history because of the way he made the game relevant to the masses.
“He’s certainly had an impact on the game,” Mickelson said. “But to me the greatest thing about Seve is his flair and charisma. Because of the way he played the game of golf, you were drawn to him.”
Whether in our own memories or through watching old clips of him on the Golf Channel, we always will be drawn to Ballesteros. That was his gift to us.
mcannizzaro@btc365-futebol.com