Ballesteros Says Goodbye to Golf

The 3-time British Open champion bows out at Carnoustie
By Joseph Fasano,  Newser User
Posted Jul 17, 2007 7:03 AM CDT
Ballesteros Says Goodbye to Golf
Seve Ballesteros, left, gets the Masters green jacket from last year's winner, Fuzzy Zoeller, after winning the 1980 Masters in Augusta, Ga., in this April 13, 1980 file photo. Seve Ballesteros officially retired from competition Monday July 16, 2007, ending a charismatic career filled with five major...   (Associated Press)

Five-time major champion Seve Ballesteros is walking away from professional golf. The 50-year-old Spaniard has suffered from a back injury for almost a decade, and finished last in his only two events this year. "I don't have the desire any longer," Ballesteros said yesterday in a news conference at Carnoustie Golf Links, site of his three British Open championships.

Ballesteros has been a major force in European golf, helping his Ryder Cup teams establish their continuing dominance over American players. "He was the most gifted young golfer that I'd ever come across," recalled five-time Carnoustie victor Peter Thompson, who likened the Spaniard to golf legend Sam Snead. Ballesteros was admitted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1999. (More Seve Ballesteros stories.)

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