1
This was the Open
when everything seemed to happen.
On the second day,
the boy Ballesteros was now six under par.
And led outright by two strokes.
But, inevitably, the power of world golf
had begun to close in.
Gary Player.
Johnny Miller.
Jack Nicklaus.
Severiano Ballesteros,
only nineteen.
Everyone enjoying him
and waiting for him to vanish
from the leaderboard.
I remember watching this 'boy'.
I watched the way that he did things
and it was a little bit unique.
Here was this young guy
ashing a ball,
playing great recoveries
and holing the putts
"This is a very special young man."
We all thought, who the devil
is this young matador of the links?
Straight in the middle.
And of course his story was
quite extraordinary.
My love was always playing golf.
Apart from golf, nothing existed for me.
Nothing.
Father:
Brother:
There's the church, right here.
It's pretty old.
And the school is on the right.
Right here.
There's my school.
The golf course is right here.
Here is the sixth hole, down there.
There's bad roads here, eh.
That's where I lived.
The house is about 100 years old
and it was a quite solid house I think.
My father, he was a farmer.
My father really worked very hard
but my mother worked even harder.
She spent all her life for the family.
Seve:
Brother:
Brother:
Mother:
There's many ways to play golf.
You can build your own golf course
by using your imagination - wife all.
Well, because I was not allowed
lo play or practice on the golf course,
I used to play on the beach.
I used to practice seven,
eight hours per day.
No!
Mother:
Severiano Ballesteros,
only nineteen coming here this morning,
leading a field of world-class golfers.
Never before, in the history
of this great championship,
had a Spaniard
been leading the whole field.
Yes! It's right in the middle of the hole.
He's realty tweaking their noses.
What great stuff from this youngster.
Can Ballesteros possibly make it?
He's newborn into world-class golf
and some say this very innocence
makes him oblivious to pressure.
First, a' was hitting the bah'
ah' over the place
and started making double bogies
and triple bogies
Oh, oh, oh.
Wife. That's in trouble.
Ballesteros battling to get back
into second place
but he's got a long, long putt here
for an Eagle three.
Right in for an Eagle.
Quite astonishing,
this young Spanish player.
Miller actually congratulates him
on that monster putt.
No, he wants to get it in
two more from here
to tie with Nicklaus for second place.
I said he was about the only one that I
saw coming along that really impressed me.
He was tremendous around the green.
He had a lot of imagination.
Yes!
Absolutely marvellous!
Straight in the middle!
What a prospect for the future and what
an exciting end to this championship.
That great chip-and-run
between the bunkers on eighteen,
man, that's a great shot.
I was very impressed with that.
Senoras y senores, muchas gracias...
He may have made a heart
throb among the girls of Southport...
In my mind,
I always dreamed and I always visualized
myself as becoming a champion.
Ballesteros is just about
to enter Leven's tigerish finish.
It's good. It's got the tail wind.
Oh yes! And the young matador
ls absolutely delighted!
Against all the odds he takes
the outright lead yer again
and can't wait to get to the next hole.
Strong breeze, so it's rather bold...
He ipped that one up.
He's running, he's jumping, he's hurling.
He really is charged up. This is what it
means by having your adrenaline owing.
He had a great walk about him. His gait.
He just strolled like a champion.
Well he's over on the
right-hand side somewhere.
Looks like he's in the parking lot.
Yes, he's certainly in the car park.
He's right up against the cars here.
So where must I drop?
You take the nearest point giving you
complete relief, no nearer the hole.
- Well it must be over there, right?
- Wife correct.
Over the years I've been called
the car park champion.
Do you resent that?
Do you mind that?
Golf is not how, it's how many.
Two putts from here
to remain two ahead.
Oh! Whoa! Yeah!
And he only needs one!
Well, the golfing gods really are
with the smiling Spaniard today.
Hale Irwin, who was two shots ahead,
out of it now.
But perhaps we are just moments away
from Severiano Ballesteros
becoming the youngest
Open champion of this century.
He's played it out safely for
the front of the green.
Irwin going through the crowd
and surrendering.
Somewhere back in the mass, Ballesteros
still battling his way through.
And what a finish!
What a grandstand finish yet again
from the young Spanish wizard.
Ballesteros is the champion!
Who were the two men who
came up and threw their arms around you?
My brothers.
We are all the brothers here.
Please, he hasn't yet recorded.
He hasn't yet recorded.
Having all three of my brothers
there with me and supporting me
and seeing all of them
just running through the green
and giving me a big hug-
and I saw my brother crying.
They realized that I did
something very important.
Severiano Ballesteros...
It never crossed my mind
lo finish second.
Second... no one would remember.
I have to be the champion.
Mother:
Seve, Seve, Seve...
I missed school many, many days.
My father and my mother
think I go to school,
but most of the days I didn't go.
I'd make a little turn to the left.
Playing golf with only one club,
you see, a three iron,
that really helped me a lot because,
you know,
I have to hit all kinds of shots
with only one club.
I have to putt,
I have to drive with the three iron.
That is why I have a very good ability,
you know.
If you play with only one club,
it makes you think...
April.
Georgia. USA.
It's Masters time again.
Paired with Gary Player
in this final round
is 21 years old today Spanish star
Severiano Ballesteros.
Winner of twenty professional tournaments
around the globe
before he even got the key to the door.
Gary Player was always my hero.
And I wished already that we were friends.
He is like my father.
He was pulling so hard for me to win
and that's a nice feeling.
When I holed that putt he walked across
the green with a million people watching
"Got it. You reached me to win Masters."
And here's the pride of
Europe, Severiano Ballesteros.
Number seventeen, from about fifteen feet.
Ol, and all is well with the world!
This for a sixty-eight
and a seven stroke lead once again.
And there it is, one more time!
The magic touch of a man,
who not many years ago,
owned little more than an old three iron
and the certainty that some day,
he'd become a champion at this game.
And there it is.
Comfortably parring number 16 and 17.
And here, triumphantly, number 18,
Seve Ballesteros, 23 years and four days
old, of Santander, Spain,
played one third
of the 72 holes under par.
A record, to become both
the youngest winner of the Masters
and the first from Europe.
Son of a farmer, youngest of four brothers
and still living in the house
where he was born.
Severiano Ballesteros!
The 1980 Masters champion!
Ol indeed.
His agent, Ed Barnard told us
that he had been at a luncheon
and he, the agent,
was introduced by the toast-master
as the manager of professional golfer
Ballerina Sevasteros.
The winner of the forty-fourth Masters...
They butchered his name
a week ago, but no longer.
When you win the Masters,
they get your name fight.
Father:
Mother:
Hola, mama'. - Hola, hijo.
Hula, papa'.
Because I was the smallest, I used
to do ab' the dirty work for everybody.
I remember I used to clean up
the shoes on Sunday morning
and they used to give me five pesetas.
Brother:
Seve:
Brother:
I started to caddy when I was nine.
At the beginning it was very good.
But I think it's a little boring
to carry a golf bag to a very bad golfer.
Because they go left, right, you have to
try and find the ball. It's very boring.
But as soon as I started practicing
I enjoyed it very much
and every time the members didn't see me,
I'd hit the ball or make a few swings.
I played at night when it was dark.
Nobody saw me. On the beach.
Maybe the strict rules helped me because
I was more anxious and hungry to practice.
And the more difficult the thing,
the more you try.
And what a finish!
What a grandstand finish yet again!
Are you aware of the noise of the crowd
when you concentrate on
the last hole of such a tournament?
No. If your concentration is good,
you don't hear anything.
Nothing worries you.
But ff your concentration is not good,
even the ies can bother you.
Golf has always been fun.
The good thing about golf is
that when you play golf
you always produce one or two shots
that really make you feel good
and makes you think
'Oh, I think I'll come back tomorrow.'
Were you a well-behaved kid, Seve?
Wife, I'd never get in any trouble. wife.
Well yes... one time I...
Teacher
Mama'?
Papa?
My father and my mother were away.
There was a bottle of wine.
I drank a few glasses
and I went back to school...
Mother:
Mother:
Father:
Mother:
This is the place in my house
where I used to practice when I was young.
Because sometimes
there's bad weather here.
And I didn't have
any other place to practice.
You used to have a net there?
Yes. Now I don't know where it is,
but I used to put it up here.
Mother:
I used to practice at twelve,
one o'clock at night.
My mother used to come down many times
"Come up and go to sleep.
What are you doing here?
You're crazy!"
It was good... a good place to practice.
I used to wait for the guard
and the caddy masters
and the guy from the locker room to go by
to make sure that everything was clear.
Once they went through...
I jumped.
When you've got it -
you've got it! What a magnificent touch.
Ladies and gentlemen, the
greatest golfer in the world!
Severiano Ballesteros!
Vamos a casa, chicas, vamos.
Doctor:
When he stepped up to the ball, we knew
something exciting was going to happen.
He was so aggressive in his drive.
If there was a green over there at 3-20,
he'd hit it 300 yards through the air
which was pretty impressive in that era.
I took more risks than most people,
but that is my way.
The way he played shots,
and the way he swung the club,
was beautiful.
He had one of the most
beautiful set-ups I have ever seen.
He had a style all of his own.
He could get it up and down
from the trashcan.
From the garage. From the car park.
You name it, he can do it.
But his shod shots were
just something to behold.
What a wonderful touch he had with
his hands and how creative he was.
He was more like an artist painting
on a beautiful canvas around the green.
It's something
that is very hard to describe.
This feeling I have.
You feel it and you think about that.
You visualize that and you feel it inside.
And then you do it.
There's no secret. This is the way it is.
Muy bien.
Seve:
Certain people in life
have this little aura around them.
Sinatra had it.
Elvis Presley had it.
Geordie Best had it.
And he had it. It just oozed from him.
Everywhere he went,
there was just this trail of people.
"Have you seen Seve?
He was like a film star - Have you seen
the latest Clint Eastwood movie?"
He had that something about him.
The only thing that at first
made me a bit worried is the attention
that was created very quickly
from the media
and from being a nobody to becoming
a superstar in just a few days, you know.
My freedom disappeared.
Especially in the UK.
I was so popular.
This young Ballesteros
has suddenly become the crowd's hero.
The British public
absolutely loved him,
his style, his charisma,
his looks and everything.
And he loved them.
Guys, if you don't mind please.
I know you're nervous but I am too, okay.
A little movement in the crowd.
I think he saw that guy
as he popped it back inside there.
"Nope. Not me. No."
Lovely.
I have to do nearly everything
in my room in the hotel.
And that was tough for a young man
like me, you know. Very tough.
But that was the price of the success.
There's certainly no
holding back over these finishing holes.
He's just lashing at the bail with every
ounce of power in his substantial body.
Number two. Par five.
Well done.
Slam bam! Birdie. Eagle.
And suddenly, after being a shot astray,
Seve Ballesteros is leading
the Masters by two strokes.
And isn't this just
the most unbelievable golf?
And it looks absolutely dead on the pin.
Oh my goodness gracious!
Where does a man get the moxy to hit
a shot like that at a moment like this?
Because the Americans
always believed until later on
that it was not possible
for any European to win the Masters,
it makes me feel
very happy and very proud.
I guess it was meant for him
to be the champion.
When he went to Augusta,
he broke some barriers for us, certainly.
After him winning, it spurred on an
incredible European run.
You're supposed to wear
the green jacket only during the Masters.
Severiano Ballesteros,
the 1983 Masters Champion.
I took it home and... don't tell anybody,
ifs in my house.
This is a replica, okay?
You understand?
Finale of the
William Tell Overture by Rossini)
Rafa:
Seve:
Seve:
What really gives
you the perception of the distance
and the feel, is if you swing
and you close your eyes.
Seve:
You can really know
which way the ball goes.
Not only by sound, but also by feel.
That helps.
Rafa:
Seve:
First, you need the ability.
But I think the mental side
is very important, too.
You have to be cool.
You have to be very powerful.
You have to be convinced
that you have a great chance to win.
You can lose, but it must never
cross your mind. Always winning.
It's very important to keep
your face down. Don't took around.
Don't ever put your face up.
Talk as little as you can.
And just put your eyes
with your ball and the hole.
He wouldn't exchange too many
pleasantries when he was playing.
Obviously he was out to win.
A great champ
is not concerned with anyone else.
Now Ballesteros - I'm sure
we're going to see a savage smash.
Just look out, ball.
You don't know what you're in for...
I say' Take that!
Mierda!
He may be slightly cross...
Those cold, black eyes are burning.
You never know what is going to
happen with me on each hole.
Rafa:
We have found Seve's ball,
but he really is in a dreadful position.
He's right in the middle
of that willow scrub.
Move back, please.
No, I'm not a very steady player.
Move back, please.
The people like to see troubled
shots in the trees and the bunkers,
and see me make bogies,
double-bogies, you know.
But I think one day I hit al'! my drives
straight to the fairway
The people will have lost
a lot of golf probably.
I always say that every time
that I go to the rough,
many times I can swing the club.
I always believe that there is
always a shot somewhere.
I've always been
very hard on myself,
even when I fumed
professional in my early days.
When I was having a bad day,
I would say to myself:
"Today you didn't do a good job,
you didn't play well,
so you don't deserve to have dinner."
So I went to bed without having dinner.
That's one way to be hard on yourself...
When he was in the doldrums,
nobody could have looked sadder.
You wanted to cuddle him and take him home
and let Mom make him tea.
When I play bad,
I feel bad not only for myself
I feel very bad for the people
who've come to watch.
When you start having
some kind of failure,
that's when you start getting tight
and you get worried.
And it's like "I don't want to miss the
putt", not "I want to make the putt".
That's on line -
has it got the legs? Oh no, caramba.
Another Spanish cries.
Sever It's all in the mind.
Rafa:
Rafa:
Seve:
When I have my three iron,
this is how I create all these shots.
And all the ideas develop
In your imagination when you play.
That's why I am always
very sharp and very quick
in finding out the way to escape
to produce those miracle shots.
He still has magic in his hands...
Rafa:
Seve:
Brother:
Yeah!
In she goes! 65 strokes!
Seve is the champion.
Seve:
Brother:
Father:
To have success wherever
you play golf or do any other thing,
there are two things you need.
You have to work very hard -
that's number one.
And number Mo, you need
a tremendous amount of discipline.
Discipline is the key in life.
For many things.
You have lo take care of yourself.
You have to sleep eight hours every day.
And practice - I go to the driving range
many times when I don't feel like it.
You know what will be the best thing
for me for how I feel at the moment?
I'd like to go to the hotel.
My boy is there and I would like to be
there and play with my boy.
But do you know what?
Lam going to the driving range.
Because I know that tomorrow is a big day
and I wan! to be ready.
That's the profession.
Touch of class, baby.
Touch of class.
Winning the Open is very difficult.
Winning the Open at Si. Andrews
was something very, very special.
Because St. Andrews is the home of golf,
and St. Andrews is...
is a different type of golf course.
It's a piece of art.
What a situation; Watson with
a putt for a birdie at the 13th,
Ballesteros with a putt
for a birdie at the 14th.
Watson first.
This would put him in a tie for the lead.
Oh touche'!
Would you credit it. Two putts.
Two birdies. Still tied at 11 under par.
Ballesteros, second and seventeen.
Whoa whoa whoa,
that's a marvellous shot.
Back on the 17th tee.
And he sent that off on the
perfect line.
Very brave.
Seve for a three at 17.
It's not tied yet.
That's the four.
Watson in the ideal spot down the 17th.
Seve's already played the hole, got a 4.
So much can happen on the 17th.
Oh...
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.
Well, they did say
it wasn't all over yet...
That really was
an extraordinary shot from Tom.
Seve's second shot to the final hole.
The dust ies.
What a little sweetie!
Seve lining up a short-ish putt.
This is for a 3.
And he's just got his hole!
You think he enjoyed that one?
Go on, give him a kiss as well.
That's fantastic stuff'.
This is St. Andrews, '84.
The best moment of my career,
so I thought that it was a good idea
to stamp that forever in my arm.
Just there. Remember, Seve.
You're the best.
This is for my mother, who has come
to the Open for the first time.
She is around here, I don't know...
somewhere.
Brother:
Seve:
What are the ambitions you
have in life generally, away from golf?
I don't know... I've been
only thinking about golf. That's it.
- Do you have a girlfriend?
- No.
Many. I have many.
But no steady one.
He's so golf-orientated that all he does
is just play golf, golf, golf...
I think if I was Seve, I'd go out
to a few discotheques now and again
and have a bit of fun, let yourself go.
A lot of people would say,
I'd like to be married and have a family.
Well probably, yeah. Good idea.
He had those wonderful smouldering looks
that sent many pulses racing, I tell you.
But he was a canny lad. And he married
his childhood sweetheart, Carmen.
She was his golfing pupil.
And they became man and wife
and had three children together.
Brother:
Seve:
Brother:
The story of Severiano Ballesteros
is about a young Spaniard
from a humble background
who has become one of
the most controversial golf players
and an attraction for so many girls
in golf galleries around the world.
But he's most in the news these days
through his demands
for appearance money when he plays,
at a time when golf organizers are seeking
to stop this son of payment.
When you go to the golf course,
who are you going to watch?
The best players, isn't it.
The best players bring the TV and
give the prestige to the tournament.
And the best players
bring the people lo watch.
If the sponsors want the best players,
they have to pay them. That's it.
But hasn't golf given you a lot else?
Do you know how much I give to golf?
I started when I was nine.
And since then...
I live until right now, twenty-three.
This way. All for golf.
You think this is not enough?
- I think it's enough.
- Your life.
All my life. And life is more important
than anything else, right?
So golf owes me something.
Or maybe we're even -
but I don't owe anything to golf.
Ho, ho!
Man:
Seve! Seve!
As we were going out on the last day,
Seve said:
"The one with the biggest heart will win,"
I thought, well, you mean you, don't you.
Well, that is pure magic.
When I walk into the ball
and I see the line and I see the shot,
it was very difficult if I say, okay,
let's play one of those shots
that you did when you were young.
A touch of genius!
From the background
I would have nothing.
Remember, I had no balls. No clubs.
No money, nothing.
I used to make bets without having any
pennies in my pocket.
I had no choice. I had to win somehow.
So obviously
I became a tremendous competitor.
If somebody's playing good,
He obviously has no money
because he can? afford to lose.
That was Seve's attitude. He had no money.
Every week. And he expects to win.
If you caddied for him
for a while, you knew
he could simply handle
anything and anybody.
People thought it was
a prestigious position - but it wasn 't.
He made us realize that all day
and every day.
After he won the Open,
the next time I saw him
he handed me a list
of things I had done wrong.
"Run after the ball!
Over the hill.
"Where have you been?
He never rested on his laurels.
Maybe because he's the youngest of four,
and he always had to prove himself.
I control my emotions really well.
That always has been my strongest point.
It's part of the game. If you cannot
control your emotions, you cannot play.
I say to myself,
this is your tournament.
It may sound wife bit arrogant,
but I expect to win.
Congratulations, little brother!
When I play good I have so much fun
and so much pleasure
that there's no money
in the world that can pay that.
Seve:
Rafa:
Come on, Seve!
BOY?
Seve:
Boys:
Rafa:
Mother:
My father was always telling me
that I would be a good golfer
and he always said "keep going, you look
great and you have the power.
You'll be great and golf is very easy."
He'd say those things.
And that helps.
My mother tried to find me a job
- A safe job.
Maybe go and work in a factory
or maybe study
and be a lawyer or something else.
But a safe position, you know.
Sergio:
Father:
Mother:
Father:
Father:
Brother:
Brother:
Brother:
On a warm, wind/ass Sunday,
four men arrive for one of golf's great
finishes.
- How are you today?
- Pretty good, it's a beautiful day.
- We're pulling for you, Jack!
- Oh, thank you.
You play well! - I'll try.
Who do you think might win this Masters?
Would you pick a champion?
I don't think you can ever win doing that
but Ballesteros will probably win
because he is definitely
the best player in the world.
This is one thing that I have.
I have it in my heart.
Coming into the Masters,
I didn't have a chance to practice
because my father was sick.
Here it comes!
I did promise my father.
"I want you to come to the Masters because
this year I am going to win it for you."
I never thought
he was going lo die so early.
He passed away the 5th of March
and I went to play the Masters
with only nine rounds of competition
in six months.
Seve for an Eagle.
What a moment. What a moment to do it.
I'm standing in the middle
of the field on the 15th,
and I hit a four onto the green.
And he's got a chance.
He's got a very, very good chance
of an Eagle three
to make him seven under par.
Yes, Sir!
And the old bear is back!
Jack Nicklaus,
knowing he must continue the charge.
He has to figure that Ballesteros
will make at least Birdie back al fifteen.
Oh my. And there's no doubt about it.
The bear has come out of hibernation.
Obviously, Jack played fantastic
down the straights on the last five holes,
but I was two shots ahead and I hit
a beautiful tee shot on the 15th.
Sever And I have to wait a little bit.
He had the feeling that, until that point,
it he really wanted to win something
he could dictate: I'm going to win this.
The tournament will be over
before the 16th this year.
- I don? need to ask how.
- My way. Of course.
Right now, it is
Seve Ballesteros's Masters to lose.
That was the worst shot
I've seen him hit...
He got it in the water.
He let go of the club. It looks like
something happened there.
That's absolutely extraordinary. I don't
think We ever seen him hit such a shot.
He's on the 17th tee
and Seve hits it into the water.
And I heard the sound.
I knew exactly what it was.
Because it was the sound of not cheering,
but some groaning...
I guess that was the destiny for me -
not to win.
Maybe.
Yes, Sir!
It was great,
the way Jack Nicklaus played.
But the bitterness
that I have inside my body
because I didn't win for my father.
He was never
the same after that Masters.
But being back at Lytham inspired him.
How are you?
The greatest I saw him play
was that Monday when Pricey and I
and Seve went oh'.
Now this could play in.
He can'! see the bottom of
the ag, so that's not bad.
When you see a guy playing
when they're just unbelievable.
And that was probably his finest day.
That was the day
when he was the true Seve.
He pieced together that round
and I said to him:
"That was the best round of golf
I've ever seen."
Seve and! distanced ourselves
from the rest of the field
toward the end of the front nine and we
played the last eleven holes,
and one of
us was going to win it.
If you size up the guys
you're playing with and they're fidgety
and some guys' eyes
are darting all over the place...
Oh, I say. That was a killer.
And Seve was just so focused that day.
What a fantastic stroke.
Five Birdies and an Eagle in seven holes.
Oh, look at that.
This hole is certainly one Seve
will remember all his life.
What a moment to produce a
stroke like that.
Oh I bet his little heart is thumping.
It looked to be a smooth rhythm.
It's easy to slide the club
under the ball and not give it enough.
I have the picture very clear,
so I went back
took the sand wedge,
took a couple of practice.
Looked... and when I hit it,
as soon as I hit it I saw the ball
go up in the air and it was perfect.
In she goes. 65 strokes.
Seve is once more the champion.
Most of us have twenty or
thirty different ways of shooting 65.
Seve has 1500 ways of shooting 65.
Well first of all,
I 'd just like lo say that
it's a pity I didn't find any cars on the
sixteenth fairway this time.
Unfortunately, you should park your cars
next time on the fairway.
I'm becoming a very straight player now.
I must say thanks to all you people
because without your support I don't think
I'd be champion right now. Thank you.
Seve, thank you.
We thought he's back,
but he didn't win another major.
But he was still a huge force
for many years to come.
The Ryder Cup was establish in 1927
as a bl-annual match
between the British Isles
and the USA.
In 1979, the British team was reinforced
with the finest golfers
from continental Europe.
But up until 1985,
the Americans had only lost three times.
Then, things began to change.
The Ryder Cup was dying
and that would be his legacy
in taking the Ryder Cup and turning it
around for the European team
and making it the event it is today.
He was Robin Hood.
And they were the wealthy sheriffs.
If you're ever in a jam, here I am.
And he was going to show
the sheriffs how to play.
Thank you, partner.
They're running out of holes.
There's only four more.
It swings quite a way from there - has it
got the pace - it has... ifs in!
It's the magic we were waiting for.
Ge! in! Get in!
That's the second hole in a row he's won.
Two Birdies...
Ballesteros's brilliance needed here...
And he's done it!
A Birdie four, and he's levelled the
march.
Magic! Tremendous form!
Ballesteros and Kite,
a wonderful exhibition
of straight playing and sportsmanship.
These super professionals.
It would be rather splendid
if Thomas could just roll this right in
to win the Ryder Cup.
I feel like I just won
another British Open.
I feel even better because I saw all the
people out there. This is fantastic.
That Ryder Cup was really very
special for everybody
because we beat the Americans.
When Seve teamed up with Olazabal,
they turned things Europe's way.
They were a very special partnership.
They had complete trust in one another's
game and became virtually unbeatable.
From Spain, Jos Maria Olazabal.
In '87, when I was paired
with Severiano Ballesteros
obviously I was very nervous, rocky.
It was my first Ryder Cup.
I was walking towards the tee,
and Seve came,
stood by my side;
he looked at me and said: "Jose,
you just play your game,
I will take care of the rest.
And yes he did -
he did take care of the rest.
Those Ryder Cup partnerships -
I don't think there's been any finer.
We understand each other without
talking. Just by looking.
And that's the reason why we've been
so successful in the Ryder Cup.
A smart idea
of Captain Anthony Jacklin
to pair the older Spanish golfer
with the younger Spanish golfer.
That's a good pairing.
I wouldn't break that team up.
Jos just needs to get this out on the
green.
We only needed two putts on the 18th green
to tie the hole and win the match.
It looks okay...
now just a minute!
I look at the ball
and I don't believe it.
"Oh shit, that was really fast.
I can? believe it."
My god - that's not
the putt I wanted to have.
The thing he did not want
to do, is leave his young countryman here
for the first time on this level,
with this putt lo win the match.
Now this kid has to make it,
or they lose the hole
and only have the match and
they were three up for most of the day.
He knew he put me
in a tough spot.
Okay. It's settled. And they
hang on to win the match. Another point.
Once (made the putt
I came back to him and I said:
"don't you ever do that again to me,"
And there it was.
Let history show that that was it,
to put them at fourteen ahead.
Ballesteros has had an
incredible week here.
And the emotion is just building here
for these Europeans.
It was one of those moments that
give you faith for the rest of the day.
That's coming back on the
wind. Does he like it?
Oh, I bet he does!
He was beginning to grin.
He couldn't quite hide the grin.
On, I say...
Ohh!
That started left.
An almost embarrassment of riches.
You might think
you are competitive,
but when you play with Seve and you see
how he thinks and drives on the course...
Oh yeah, all the way.
You realize that he is at another level.
He quickly got a reputation,
match-play wise,
he didn't give an inch;
he was as rough as nails.
You're switching
the compression on the team?
- No.
- Yes, you did.
Being tough is part of
being a great player.
And there was nobody
tougher than Seve.
I don't know - we saw two balls.
He played two different balls.
There's no better feeling
or better taste than to be the best.
You always want to be the best.
Now please welcome Severiano Ballesteros.
The captain of the European team.
To finalize my contribution
and my record in the Ryder Cup,
I fell that I needed to be the captain.
I thought It was my obligation.
Carmen leading the cheers.
It is a great honour for me
to welcome you to Valderrama today,
to the thirty-second Ryder Cup matches.
In the beginning Seve was great.
"I don? want to put any pressure on you,
I want you to relax. No pressure at all."
"We have to win!
We have to try hard.
Don't hit it in the bunker. Don't three
putt. Don't hit into the trees on 16!
Seve was off the charts
when he was captain.
Was he a good captain?
Seve got the result.
I'll leave it like that.
"Am I playing?
'Don't ask me, ask your captain.
"Go and ask
him straight - am I playing or not?"
Because of the rules,
I had to leave four guys out.
Was it difficult to tell them?
Wife. they... I haven't talked to them.
He wanted to play Langer's,
Faldo's, mine, everybodies shot.
Then he came up to me and he told me
how to do it and what to do.
I had to be quite rude at one stage,
"I'm sorry, Seve. I'm okay."
Colin Montgomerie said he wished
he'd just get on his buggy and go away.
He was trying 100 percent, never
gave up, and he takes that everywhere.
On as well as off the golf course.
"Captain, that's it."
Montgomerie gets the nod and it's victory
for Seve's stars and Southern Spain.
Somewhere in there is
Severiano Ballesteros.
And Seve, this week,
has been master of the game.
Fabulous moment.
Proudest moment of your career?
I think so. I've won many great
tournaments around the world,
I've won five majors,
five world matches,
six orders of merit and all that.
But this is very special.
He was tremendously inuential
and a pain in the neck to some,
but all in all he was a giant,
and for a some years
he ruled the roost
and inspired Europeans all over.
If I wanted a cup right now, it's Seve's.
Golf, it can really make you
feel like you are like God one day.
And the next day
it makes you feel miserable.
Lately I have to say that things have been
very rough and very difficult for me.
I miss my family.
The life is not as easy
as many people may think.
"What more can I do?
Surely it's time for me to retire now?
Retire? Never.
- Never retire?
- The white ag up? Never.
It would be a surrender, wouldn't it?
- Yes. Never.
I still produce better shots
than anybody else there.
Chip. Bunker shot. Under the trees.
Whatever.
And I think I can produce,
now and then, good golf.
That's enough?
I don't need to prove
that I'm Severiano Ballesteros
and I can still beat those youngsters. No.
Nobody told me when to start playing golf
Why should anyone tell me when to retire?
When I die.
Retire? Never.
His bad back
was the biggest problem.
It was really sad to see
the decline of his once brilliant game.
I really thought he would go on forever.
I thought he was indestructible.
It was an internal fight.
It was difficult for quite a while.
So that really made me think,
very deeply.
Either you continue, or you stop playing.
And I've made probably
the most difficult decision
of my career as a player.
And I decided to retire.
To say that I'm not going to play
golf anymore...
is like taking a piece of your heart
and putting it away.
I'm okay, I'm okay.
There's still some kind sadness there
because it's not easy to accept
you are retired from something you have
done for thirty-three years.
It's... not easy.
Seve did his
little boxing routine at the end
which I'm sure well see time and time
again. And wasn't it all worthwhile.
I've been lucky
to have three opportunities
to get a chance to pick his brains and
spend time with him, just chipping.
I learned so much in short time.
How to play shots.
It was phenomenal.
He pitched it just short of the green
and he looks to have got
the pace to perfection.
I couldn't pull it off, but he always did.
I think all of us golfers
are going to miss him.
Everything starts
and everything has to finish.
Severiano Ballesteros
is in a stable condition
after a brain tumor operation.
The golfing legend was diagnosed
with a tumor last week
after collapsing in Madrid.
Doctors operated straight away
because of the serious situation.
I didn't want to feel any panic
or show my emotions to them
because you don't win
anything by doing that
so the best thing is
to just be prepared and to be relaxed
and show a good, optimistic position.
Life is like a sport.
You have to fight every day for things.
Fight all the way.
The key is to just never give up.
And this is what I would call destiny.
One test that God is putting on me.
And I am winning. I'm going to
hole the 18th putt at St. Andrews.
With great pleasure we welcome
live from his home in Pedrena, Spain,
Severiano Ballesteros.
It is an immense pleasure for me
to present you with this award.
The Lifetime Achievement Award.
And for this, I think we should stand up.
- Yes.
Congratulations, my friend.
- Thank you.
From a great champion like you are.
- Thank you.
Thank you to you all.
I don't want to see you people
feel sorry for me.
L've been the luckiest person
in the world.
I've had so much luck and
I've had so much fun for so many years
that this thing that just happened to me
is just a very little thing
compared to other people
who have tougher times.
And they don't have
the opportunity to live a life
so intense and as good as I did.
So, thank you very much.
And I love you all from my heart.
Thank you.
The former world number
one golfer, Seve Ballesteros, has died.
He lost his three-year battle
with a brain tumor
at his home in northern Spain
this morning.
He was just a kid...
in his village.
Right in the heart of the
hole. A five Birdie finish for lan Poulter
and he's given hope to the European side
that looked totally lost.
United States, ten. Europe, six.
We've got a chance.
If we can do anything
to get our hands on this trophy
and Seve's looking down on us,
then you gotta do what you gotta do.
And this is quite a shot.
Go in! Go in!
That a boy, Paul! How about that shot!
Brilliant. Brilliant.
Fantastic, Rory!
What a shot by lan Poulter,
our the trees at eighteen.
He's got it.
This could happen here.
I've just glanced down
and had a look at my left sleeve
and that's the kind of stuff
he would have done today.
Thirteen hole.
Europe have to find a full point.
Our fate now is in the hands of Kaymer.
A putt to win or lose the Ryder Cup...
Unbelievable. It's Europe's Ryder Cup.
Seve must have enjoyed that.
We've got Seve on the arm and on the back
I know he's up there, but...
he'd be the proudest man
in the world right now.
I have a few thoughts for my friend, Seve
and this one is for him.
Seve! Seve! Seve!
I'm pretty sure he's very happy
where he is today.
Seve! Seve! Seve!