The Masters: Seve Ballesteros is Overlooked Champion

Whether you loved or hated him, Seve Ballesteros was one of golf’s true greats. And he’s an overlooked champion at the Masters.

Seve Ballesteros was one of the greatest, most competitive, fiery golfers in the history of the game. The Spaniard was a great champion, a Ryder Cup standout and a personality that generally drew some kind of reaction from fans and his fellow competitors. Ballesteros was one of those players that people generally either loved or hated.

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We published a list of the 10 Greatest Masters Champions earlier today, and Ballesteros narrowly missed that list. But there’s no doubt that the two-time Masters champion could easily be included in such a group.

Ballesteros won five major championships between 1979 and 1988. He won the Open Championship in 1979, 1984 and 1988. He claimed a pair of green jackets by winning the Masters title in 1980 and 1983.

Ballesteros was Phil Mickelson before there was a Phil Mickelson. The Spaniard’s creativity and ability to get out of tough situations was second to none. Countless times, it seemed that Ballesteros had no shot to get out of trouble, only to see him find a way to create a miraculous shot that saved him again.

Ballesteros, who died in 2011 after battling a malignant brain tumor, won his first Masters title at age 23, becoming the first European player to ever claim the title. Just three years later, he won again, this time by four shots, over the likes of Tom Watson, Raymond Floyd and Ben Crenshaw.

In his career, Ballesteros won 50 times on the European Tour, a record that still stands.

One of the Spaniard’s great passions was the Ryder Cup. Ballesteros played in nine consecutive Ryder Cups and, at a time when the Europeans were not used to winning, he changed the mindset of the team. The Euros became more passionate about the event, largely due to Ballesteros, and he led the team to four wins as a player. He also led the European team to a win as the team captain in 1997.

Ballesteros would have celebrated his birthday on Thursday (April 9) and he would have enjoyed being at Augusta, a place he always enjoyed. So it’s fitting to honor the legendary Ballesteros during this week.