Severiano Ballesteros: The 'small town boy' who changed golf

Charisma, talent, effort, determination... Many adjectives could be used to define Severiano Ballesteros, a fundamental and essential figure in the history of golf, who reached the very pinnacle of the sport.

"Not only did he change the game, his role in the resurrection of the Ryder Cup and the sheer influence of his presence and successes led other European golfers to believe that they too were capable of competing successfully in the United States," wrote the British newspaper The Observer in 2007, the year of his retirement.

Ballesteros spent 33 years on the professional golf circuit, between 1974 and 2007, leaving behind a list of achievements that included 90 victories, 5 majors (3 British Opens and 2 Masters); 5 Ryder Cups (as a player and captain), 50 PGA European Tour titles and 6 PGA Tour titles. And, after his farewell, 'Time' magazine chose him as number one - a sportsman who changed the sport forever.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

This was achieved through sheer determination and effort, starting from the very bottom. Ballesteros's journey is a clear example of how perseverance can help one reach even the loftiest of dreams.

Severiano Ballesteros was born on April 9, 1957, in the small Cantabrian town of Pedreña, to a humble family with few resources. He was a village boy, the son of a gardener, but he always felt attracted to sports.

The environment in which Ballesteros grew up played a crucial role in shaping his future. Pedreña, his hometown, was located in one of the regions with the richest golfing traditions in Spain—and even in Europe.

Then there was his uncle, Ramón Sota. The brother of his mother was an example and inspiration for Ballesteros, as he was one of the great Spanish players of the 50s, champion of Spain on four occasions and runner-up in the European Cup on two occasions. 'Seve' had the opportunity to see him train and wanted to follow in his footsteps.

To take his first steps as an amateur golfer, Ballesteros used Somo beach, near Pedreña, as an improvised course, with holes in the sand and a stick with a handkerchief tied around it as a green flag.

His efforts were rewarded and, at just 9 years old, he became a caddy at his town's golf course, and from then on began to make a meteoric rise in the world of golf.

At just 16 years old, he managed to take the definitive step in his sporting career by becoming a professional player. A massive leap for the youngster, looking to make a name for himself in the golf world.

It was at that age that he played his first tournament as a professional, leaving behind a short but promising and brilliant career as an amateur golfer, and in the same year, 1974, he won his first title in the golfing elite, the Spanish Under-25 Open. He finished the season in 26th place on the international ranking.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

Ballesteros was a simple debutant on the circuit until he was named, at 19 years old, as the best European player of the year, winning tournaments in five different continents.

In 1976, Ballesteros finished second in the prestigious British Open golf championship, at a time when the Spanish player dazzled British fans, for whom he became a true idol.

Three years later, in 1979, he would make history - at just 22 years old - by becoming the youngest player in history to win the British tournament and, the following year, the first European to win the Augusta Masters, thus consolidating his status as one of the best in the game.

The story of two prestigious tournaments to which we must undoubtedly add the Ryder Cup, not only because he won it on 5 occasions, but also because he was a fundamental pillar and driving force behind the tournament until then contested by American and British golfers.

Throughout his career, he was voted PGA European Tour Golfer of the Year three times and an 'honourable member' of the tour, the most successful golfer on the circuit. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997, won the Prince of Asturias Award for Sports in 1989 and has been named the Best European Player of the 20th Century.

His final farewell to the world of golf took place on 16 July 2007 on the Scottish course of Carnoustie, where he announced his retirement at the age of 50, after more than three decades of creating enthusiasm for the sport.

The worst and most tragic news would come four years after his retirement, when the golfer from Cantabria died from a brain tumor that he had been battling since 2009 and for which he created the Severiano Ballesteros Foundation, to support research against cancer.

A project that continues to live on today, led by his children, Javier, Miguel, and Carmen Ballesteros, together with professional golfer Jesús Rodríguez and in collaboration with the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO).

"My father suffered from a very complicated cancer, a cancer that is currently incurable. He suffered from a grade 3 malignant glioma, and he wanted to contribute to his Foundation so that one day people could be cured," his daughter Carmen told the newspaper El Confidencial.

"There is a laboratory named after Severiano Ballesteros where important research work is being carried out on brain cancer to detect it and combat it effectively. At the Foundation we want to contribute to raising awareness and supporting this cause, and research is essential to continue making progress," she added.

Today, the ashes of Severiano Ballesteros rest in what was once his residence in Pedreña, next to a sculpture of him by the artist Raúl Abad facing Somo beach, where he began to play golf, and accompanied by a magnolia, the tree that symbolizes the Augusta Masters.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!