Follow Newser on Twitter   Friend Newser on Facebook
Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Golf's Seve Ballesteros Dead at 54

Golfer succumbs to brain cancer, 'mulligan of my life'

By the Associated Press

Posted May 7, 2011 5:50 AM CDT

(AP) – Seve Ballesteros, a five-time major champion whose passion and gift for imaginative shot-making invigorated European golf and the Ryder Cup, has died from complications of a cancerous brain tumor. He was 54. A statement on Ballesteros' website early today said the golf great died peacefully at 2:10am local time, surrounded by his family at his home in Pedrena, northern Spain. Ballesteros, a two-time Masters champion and three-time winner of the British Open, was a handsome figure who feared no shot and often played from where no golfer had ever been.

In a long list of spectacular shots, perhaps the most memorable came from a parking lot next to the 16th fairway in the 1979 British Open. Leading by two shots in the final round, he drove his ball into the lot, had a car removed to get his free drop, then fired his second shot to 15 feet and made birdie on his way to his first major. "He was a man who got into trouble. Only for Seve, there was no such thing as trouble," Gary Player once said. "He could manufacture shots like a genius."

This April 4, 2007, file photo, shows Seve Ballesteros watching his bunker shot on the seventh hole during practice for the 2007 Masters at the Augusta National Golf Club, in Augusta, Ga.
This April 4, 2007, file photo, shows Seve Ballesteros watching his bunker shot on the seventh hole during practice for the 2007 Masters at the Augusta National Golf Club, in Augusta, Ga.   (David J. Phillip)
This April 13, 1980 file photo shows Seve Ballesteros being helped with his Masters green jacket by Fuzzy Zoeller after winning the 1980 Masters.
This April 13, 1980 file photo shows Seve Ballesteros being helped with his Masters green jacket by Fuzzy Zoeller after winning the 1980 Masters.   ((AP Photo/ File))
This July 25, 2009, file photo shows Seve Ballesteros during his first appearance before the media since undergoing surgery for a brain tumor, in Madrid. Ballesteros died, Friday May 6, 2011.
This July 25, 2009, file photo shows Seve Ballesteros during his first appearance before the media since undergoing surgery for a brain tumor, in Madrid. Ballesteros died, Friday May 6, 2011.   (Victor R. Caivano)
This Sept. 21, 2005, file photo shows Seve Ballesteros, of Spain, acknowledges the crowd during the Seve Trophy Pro-Am event at the Wynyard Golf Club in Billingham, England.
This Sept. 21, 2005, file photo shows Seve Ballesteros, of Spain, acknowledges the crowd during the Seve Trophy Pro-Am event at the Wynyard Golf Club in Billingham, England.   (SCOTT HEPPELL)
In this May 18, 2007 file photo, Seve Ballesteros smiles before teeing off on the first hole during the Regions Charity Classic golf tournament at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Course in Hoover, Ala.
In this May 18, 2007 file photo, Seve Ballesteros smiles before teeing off on the first hole during the Regions Charity Classic golf tournament at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Course in Hoover, Ala.   (Rob Carr)
In this July 16, 2007 file photo, golfer Seve Ballesteros announces his plans to retire, at Carnoustie golf course in Carnoustie, Scotland. Ballesteros died, Friday May 6, 2011.
In this July 16, 2007 file photo, golfer Seve Ballesteros announces his plans to retire, at Carnoustie golf course in Carnoustie, Scotland. Ballesteros died, Friday May 6, 2011.   (PETER MORRISON)
This Oct. 14, 2009, file photo shows golfer Seve Ballesteros, who is recovering from brain cancer, speaking during the presentation for the Volvo World match play Championship, in Madrid.
This Oct. 14, 2009, file photo shows golfer Seve Ballesteros, who is recovering from brain cancer, speaking during the presentation for the Volvo World match play Championship, in Madrid.   (Paul White)
This July 21, 1979, file photo shows Seve Ballesteros, of Spain, holding the British Open golf championship trophy after winning the event at Royal Lytham and St. Anne's in Lancashire, England.
This July 21, 1979, file photo shows Seve Ballesteros, of Spain, holding the British Open golf championship trophy after winning the event at Royal Lytham and St. Anne's in Lancashire, England.   ((AP Photo, File))
This April 9, 2003, file photo shows Seve Ballesteros gesturing to the gallery as they sing happy birthday to him at the Augusta National Golf Club, in Augusta, Ga.
This April 9, 2003, file photo shows Seve Ballesteros gesturing to the gallery as they sing happy birthday to him at the Augusta National Golf Club, in Augusta, Ga.   (DAVID J. PHILLIP)
This July 21, 1979, file photo shows Seve Ballesteros, of Spain, reacting as he wins the British Open golf championship at Royal Lytham and St. Anne's in Lancashire, England.
This July 21, 1979, file photo shows Seve Ballesteros, of Spain, reacting as he wins the British Open golf championship at Royal Lytham and St. Anne's in Lancashire, England.   ((AP Photo/File))
In this Sept. 28, 1997 file photo, European Ryder Cup team captain Seve Ballesteros holds the trophy after Europe beat the United States to win the Ryder Cup at Valderrama golf course in Spain.
In this Sept. 28, 1997 file photo, European Ryder Cup team captain Seve Ballesteros holds the trophy after Europe beat the United States to win the Ryder Cup at Valderrama golf course in Spain.   (DAVE MARTIN)
Severiano Ballesteros tenderly kisses the British Open trophy after his victory at Lytham St. Anne's, England, in this July 18, 1988 file photo. This was the third time Ballesteros had won the title.
Severiano Ballesteros tenderly kisses the British Open trophy after his victory at Lytham St. Anne's, England, in this July 18, 1988 file photo. This was the third time Ballesteros had won the title.   ((AP Photo, File))
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Seve is a genius, one of the few geniuses in the game. The thing is, Seve is never in trouble. He's in the trees quite a lot, but that's not trouble for him.
That's normal. - Ben Crenshaw

He did for European golf what Tiger Woods did for worldwide golf. The European Tour would not be where it is today if not for
Seve Ballesteros. - Golfer Nick Price, whose brother died from the same problem last year

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
My TakeCLICK BELOW TO VOTE
3%
1%
82%
7%
4%
3%
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Showing 1 of 1 comment
Iffida
May 7, 2011 1:03 PM CDT
RIP Ballesteros, you were a great golfer..

Copyright 2012 Newser, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.

 
golf • obituary • PGA • PGA Tour • brain tumor • Seve Ballesteros

More Newser Stories

Sleepy Golfer DQ'd for Missing Pro-Am Tee Time

Tiger Fails to Make Cut at PGA Event

PGA Faces Life Without Tiger

Ballesteros Released From Hospital

Ballesteros Has More Surgery
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Timelines   |   Geek Sugar   |   Business Insider   |   HuffPost Entertainment