R&A Honors Seve

Nice move...definitely helped that he is not a woman.

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews

FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLICATION
 
SEVERIANO BALLESTEROS ACCEPTS HONORARY MEMBERSHIP OF THE ROYAL AND ANCIENT GOLF CLUB OF ST ANDREWS
 
11 November 2009, St Andrews, Scotland: The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is pleased to announce that Severiano Ballesteros has accepted its invitation to become an Honorary Member.
 
Severiano Ballesteros first caught the attention of the golfing public when, as a 19-year-old, he finished in a tie for second place with Jack Nicklaus at the 1976 Open Championship, held at Royal Birkdale. He then went on to win five Major Championships between the years of 1979 and 1988, adding two Green Jackets to his haul of three Claret Jugs.
 
His three Open Championship victories came in 1979 and 1988 at Royal Lytham and St Annes, and in 1984 at St Andrews. His legendary fist pump, a reaction to holing the birdie putt on the final hole of the Old Course to claim his second Claret Jug, became famous the world over and is now used as a logo for his group of companies.
 
“I am greatly honoured to accept Honorary Membership of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews,” he said. “I have had, perhaps, the outstanding moment of my career at St Andrews and the town will always retain a very special place close to my heart.  I sincerely hope that I will be able to come back next year and be part of the 150th Anniversary of The Open Championship.”
 
Ballesteros competed for Europe in eight Ryder Cups and Captained the European team to victory at Valderrama in 1997. He was also instrumental in creating the biennial Seve Trophy match, now called ‘the Vivendi Trophy with Severiano Ballesteros’, between teams representing Great Britain and Ireland and Continental Europe. He was inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1999.
 
Earlier this year, Ballesteros launched the Seve Ballesteros Foundation, an organisation which aims to aid research into cancer, particularly brain tumours. Simultaneously, the Foundation also assists young, underprivileged golfers to develop their golfing careers.
 
Severiano Ballesteros joins an illustrious list of Honorary Members of the Club:
          
His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh KG, KT.
His Royal Highness The Duke of York KG, KCVO, ADC.
His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent KG, GCMG, GCVO.
The Hon. George Herbert Walker Bush GCB.
Peter Alliss
Tony Jacklin CBE.
John Jacobs OBE.
Kel Nagle
Jack Nicklaus
Arnold Palmer
Gary Player
Peter Thomson CBE, AO.
Lee Trevino
Roberto De Vicenzo
Tom Watson

Comments

[court]

helps that he's not a woman ? huh ????

[Sir Richard Gusset of Scrought's Wood]

court: No girls allowed in the R&A.

[court]

I know that - and I also know that no women have ever played the tournaments Seve has won. The statement just doesn't go with the post.

Here's another one - Seve has never been in my kitchen.

[DavidC]

It very much goes with the post. The R&A sent out a press release on this, they are in the public eye and wish to receive goodwill from their announcement. Does Preston Trail send out a press release when they make someone an honorary member? No, because they are a private men's club.

I'd agree the R&A's policies wouldn't matter if they were a private club with no public revenues or public role, meaning no impact on the game or lives. But that's not the case. And Geoff's not the only one who noted this:

http://www.waggleroom.com/2009/11/11/1126031/all-male-r-a-makes-seve

[MTB]

Court--Nobody wants to be in your kitchen

David C--stellar as usual

[Wing Commander Enright]

Jolly good.