Those accomplishments — or lack of them, in his view — define Els as a golfer. Among active players, only Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have won more majors. Even at 41, Els’s circumstances on the course seem no different: same relaxed demeanor, same languid swing, same abundant gifts. So it’s not just Els who wonders: Could more have been expected from someone who owns 39 worldwide victories?
“Ernie, sadly, never understood the whole picture,” said Robert Baker, Els’s swing coach when he won at Congressional. “I mean this with the greatest respect, because I love the guy, and I love Ernie Els’s game. But Ernie should have won a lot more majors. As a golfer, he’s had a great career. But did he capture his potential? Not even close.”
You may recall that last yearVijay Singh inexplicably received a U.S. Open Special Exemption, normally reserved for people who (A) actually have won the event or (B) who would draw more than five people in his gallery.
In the July Golf Digest, Jaime Diaz writes about his final visit to see Seve Ballesteros. Besides pointing out he died younger than any giant of the game since Young Tom, Diaz reports that friends feel Seve's health slid after depression set in when doctors advised him to skip last year's Open Championship.
Ballesteros' oldest son, Javier, carried the urn holding the Spanish golf great's ashes at the front of the procession, with the wail of a single bagpipe punctuating the occasion on an overcast day in the tiny village off the Bay of Santander.
The procession also included several young boys and girls wearing a replica of the navy blue outfit that Ballesteros wore for his first British Open win in 1979. They each held a 3-iron, the first club he used as a child.
Members of a local men's rowing team marched with their oars.
The large crowd outside the church burst into applause as Ballesteros' ashes reached the tiny church, which was filled to its 400-person capacity. Locals, friends and others watched from one of the three giant screens set up outside.
The 2012 European Captain José Maria Olazábal, who with Seve formed the greatest partnership in Ryder Cup history, was joined by past Captains Sir Nick Faldo, Bernard Gallacher, Colin Montgomerie, Sam Torrance and Ian Woosnam. Miguel Angel Jiménez and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño were among the Spanish contingent with a host of European Tour players past and present who joined family and friends in Seve's hometown.
George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, R&A Chief Executive Peter Dawson and his predecessor Sir Michael Bonallack were among those paying their respects.
I recall a breakfast with Seve at the Ritz in London when, with tears in his eyes, he spoke warmly of his parents – his father had now died - and three brothers. He said: “The biggest influence on my life was my parents and probably the surroundings because our house was right there on the golf course (Real Club de Golf de Pedreña). My uncle, Ramon Sota, was also a professional golfer and he was very good.
“My father was always optimistic; he always believed in me. The house had belonged to my mother’s uncle. When we were growing up Baldomero, my eldest brother, had one bedroom, Manuel had another and I shared with Vicente. We were a happy family. We kept cows which my father looked after. He also fished, some for us to eat and some to sell, and he caddied. It seemed that he and my mother were always working.”
Later the tears turned to smiles when he recalled being drunk at the age of 12. He said: “I came home and my father and mother had gone fishing. My lunch had been left and there was a bottle of wine. I had four glasses. It did not go unnoticed when I returned to school; I was sent back home!”
If the game's leaders wanted to truly honor Seve's memory, they would figure out a way to restore the relevance of his style in an era before players carried five different wedges, several hybrids, long putters and balls designed to combat the elements of spin. It's probably too late to cap the bottle of technology, but maybe something as simple as reducing the number of clubs in the bag from 14 to 11 would require today's elite players to learn how to do more with less the way Ballesteros could.
Ballesteros’s life ended where it began: in the Cantabrian hamlet of Pedrena, along the rock-edged, turquoise shores of the Bay of Santander, where he was raised.
“The funeral rites will be as simple as those for any neighbor from the village,” his brother Baldomero said. “Seve is a country boy. We thought it was best.”
It’s a simpler and somewhat rougher part of Spain’s coast, not as traveled as the southern Mediterranean, but ancient and splendidly beautiful even so, wild with energy, and suggestive of just what an epic act of self-fashioning his career was. His essence, surely, is there.
Thanks to reader Stan for Brian Viner's Seve tribute, that included a reminder of Seve's philosophy on long putters and technology.
"He approved of gamesmanship because it was a test of psychological strength. But he deplored players getting technological assistance. "I would ban the long putter," he told me. "Golf in my opinion was invented to reward the skill, ability and intelligence of the player. But when I see guys using that putter, on the short putts especially it looks like an incredible help. People who can't putt at all, all of a sudden they're making everything inside 20 feet."
I asked whether we shouldn't spare a thought for his friend Sam Torrance, whose career was extended by conversion to the broomhandle putter.
"That's a good question. But if the long putter did not exist, Sam couldn't have tried it. He would have continued to find another way. I would also change the loft on the sand wedge, from 60 degrees to maximum 54, so there is more feel involved. Some guys carry four wedges, I need only one. I would have only 12 clubs in the bag, not 14, to eliminate all those wedges. And I would change the size of the ball. It should be bigger, to stop distance. Great golf courses all over the world are being redesigned, because with new technology players hit so far. That is wrong because great courses, like St Andrews, are pieces of art. The ball should be changed, not the course."
It's not often when we lose a golfing great that you hear photographers speaking out about their affection for the person, but that's just how powerful a presence Seve exuded.
Matthew Harris, who captured several memorable images of Seve and whose work can now be seen at The Golf Picture Library, shares the image (left) and following words about Seve:
"All any golf photographer ever wanted to do was to photograph Seve,he gave us some extraordinary moments. He will never be forgotten as long as golf is played, as he made the impossible shots, possible.It was a privilege being there for many of his triumphant wins, in an illustrious career and an honor we became friends ".
"One of my most cherished memories was going to dinner with him, and my friend Koji Aoki, to a small Japanese noodle house, sitting on tatami mats,in the middle of the Hakone Highlands in Japan; laughter,chop sticks and a priceless evening ".
"Seve was the pied piper, not only of European golf,but why even non sports fans would tune in when he was rampaging across a golf course bubbling charisma with every swashbuckling swipe of his clubs; there never was a finer sight in my experience in golf ".
Whether it was a smile, a scowl, a serious moment or a great action image, it did not matter. The eyes told the story — the unrivalled passion for the game of golf. It's a passion I share every day of my life, and I very much miss Seve's being around as a person, let alone as a subject.
Life isn't a game, of course, but the tragedy behind the glory of Seve Ballesteros was that sometimes he plainly found it hard to distinguish between the two. He wept unashamedly in defeat and was distraught when he finished second as a 19-year-old at the Open at Royal Birkdale in 1976. Ballesteros always lived in the moment, and if such anguish was hard to understand after he had been beaten only by the superstar American Johnny Miller, and tied with Jack Nicklaus, it was soon enough widely understood that the thin, intense youth played only to win. It wasn't considered an ambition; it was a birthright.
He won three Opens along with his Masters titles, and each time he won a major he seemed to journey a little deeper into the improbable, even the surreal.
He could also be awkward. He could shut down a party with a look. That is the kind of power and charisma he had. But he loved the game, he loved to play, he just loved hitting balls. He was more than a golfer, he was a global star. It was such a shame that a life like his should end like it did. They were a very sad last two years, living in a bloody big house overlooking the Bay of Santander with a housekeeper and his brothers popping in. His family lived in Madrid and he was largely on his own. He knew he was dying. It was very sad.
I last saw him a couple of months ago. We went down to film a documentary. He lived in some style. You went into his garage and you discovered a Lamborghini and a Ferrari. He'd had them for years but they had fewer than 4,000 miles on the clock. A dealer friend of mine asked me to ask Seve if he wanted to sell them.
He offered Seve a decent price but he wanted a million pounds each for them because 'they belong to me'.
I first met Seve when he was a teenager at the under 25 championship in Evian.
It was a practice round and this engaging Spaniard arrived on the first tee with some dodgy-looking shoes and minus the full compliment of clubs.
My first question was: who are you caddying for? "I am playing," was the reply.
After a few holes, I realized I was in special company and it was the beginning of a friendship that would last until his untimely death of such a brutal illness.
''He was bloody kind with his time. Any time I saw him going to the practice green I'd head over there as well. He was very free with his advice and he'd spend a lot of time with you, talking you through stuff. For a young guy that was purely inspirational.''
It is no exaggeration to say that we will never see his like again. Quite apart from the fact that the explosion in club and ball technology over the last 20 years or so has left professional golf all but bereft of the subtle shot-making, touch and artistry Seve took to previously unexplored levels, the Spaniard played, to paraphrase the great Bobby Jones' famous description of Jack Nicklaus, "a game with which no-one else was familiar". Added to which he was the ultimate competitor, as his 50 European Tour victories - a record - and 87 worldwide wins so graphically indicate.
The Spaniard won his first major championship at Royal Lytham in 1979, beating a white handkerchief-waving Hale Irwin, a clinically accurate American who only a month earlier had won his national Open. Seve clattered the ball all over the links from the tee but in one of the most staggering performances on a brutally difficult course he holed the most improbable of putts, hit the most perfect bunker shots and then finished off Irwin, Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw and Australian Rodger Davis when he made a birdie at the 16th after driving into the carpark.
The orthodox and normally ruthless Irwin could not stomach a man burying him on the golf course whilst missing fairway after fairway with a swing that showed little regard for orthodoxy.
"What he did for European golf was what Tiger Woods did for worldwide golf. The European Tour would not be where it is now if it were not for Seve. His allegiance to the European Tour was admirable. I mean the guy was an icon; just an incredible golfer. I've always said most of us could shoot 65 in about 30 or 40 ways. He could do it about 10,000 different ways. He could miss every fairway, chip in five times, hole two bunker shots...what a sad day today. He was so creative around the greens. It didn't matter if there was a tree or bunker, he'd figure out a way to get up and down. He and I had a great duel at Royal Lytham in 1988. It was a great day for each of us. I remember the seventh hole he made an eagle right on top of me. I remember after we played that hole that one of us was going to win because we were both playing so well that day and neither of us was going to back down. He was always very kind to me. Whatever you may have heard about him, his love for the game and his competitiveness was something I learned so much from.
Defending champion Tim Clark of South Africa, who won last year in stunning fashion with a weekend sprint to the top, has asked the PGA Tour to take his nation's flag down a week before usual.
On Clark's direction, his agent called Players Championship media official Laura Hill Saturday evening and asked that the Spanish fly be flown atop the Circle of Champions this week instead of the South African flag, a gesture he is making to Seve Ballesteros, the Hall of Fame player from Spain who died early Saturday of a brain tumor.
Hill got the word to the right people and the Spanish flag will be hoisted over the landmark at the bottom of the hill between the clubhouse and the practice area beginning Sunday morning. At the base of the flag are plaques commemorating each Players winner. Ballesteros never won the tournament but for a week his career will be honored as if he had.
"Obviously, he has been present all the time,'' he said. "Our relationship was so close. I always felt privileged for all the moments that we shared together, and there have been many. Even though I knew what the situation was, when the moment arrives you are never sufficiently prepared.''
Playing partner Colin Montgomerie said Olazabal was "in floods of tears most of the day. He has lost an older brother almost.''
"It was very difficult to get too much out of Jose Maria - he was very tearful and filling up. You could see in his eyes the great loss he feels and they've been a great support for each other. He did well to play at all today,'' said Montgomerie, who partnered with Ballesteros in a number of Ryder Cups. "It was his brother, really. It was a very, very sad day for him.''
Nick Faldo: "I am deeply saddened by the news on the passing of Seve. He had a real impact on me and on my life in this sport. He was a leader; bringing the spotlight to the European Tour, paving the way to European success at the Masters and bringing his relentless passion to the Ryder Cup. Today I would call him, Cirque du Soleil. For golf, he was the greatest show on earth. I was a fan and so fortunate I had front row seat."
"The Ballesteros family informs that Seve’s neurological condition has suffered a severe deterioration. The family will inform accordingly about any change in his health condition and takes this opportunity of thanking everyone for the support that both Seve and his own family have been receiving during all this time."
According to sources, Sabbatini spent much of last Thursday and Friday complaining about the speed of play. Eventually he asked O’Hair directly if he thought the speed of play was a problem and reportedly O’Hair said the problem was Sabbatini. Sources said O’Hair told Sabbatini that playing in a group with Sabbatini, a known speed-of-play advocate, was equal to a two-shot penalty for his playing competitors.
Pointedly asked after the pro-am if he was facing a suspension or under scrutiny, Sabbatini was equal parts defiant and testy. "No, that is just all rumor, bud," he said. "You are going based on a rumor. How many times do I have to tell you?" Pat Perez, the third player in the group in New Orleans, on Wednesday repeatedly declined to describe the altercation, which took place in a tee box during the second round.
"I am not going to be the guy on the front page," Perez said Wednesday at the tournament site. "It's for us to sort out."
There goes Pat's chances of winning the Jim Murray Award!
Then again, when you read about their "heated exchange" and Sabbo's anger management issues, maybe a Thursday-Friday pairing at the Colonial could spice things up!
O’Hair, whose friends describe him as “non-confrontational,” will probably be slapped with a lighter punishment than Sabbatini, whose infamous temper has led to multiple run-ins (to his credit, he’s significantly simmered down). Word is Sabbo may face a multiple-week suspension, which he then has the option to appeal.
At Riviera, Sabbatini berated a Shotlink volunteer who tried to come to the player's aid on the fifth hole after the South African hit a shot into some deep rough. The volunteer left the Shotlink tower, found a ball in the calf-high rough, and marked its location with a beverage container.
When Sabbatini arrived, he lost his temper and screamed at the volunteer, claiming the ball had been pushed deeper into the rough as a result of the bottle being placed in close proximity. According to caddie Frank Williams, who works for Stewart Cink, the third member of the group, Sabbatini had a complete meltdown.
"It was as bad as I have ever seen," Williams told CBSSports.com a few weeks after the incident.
A witness said Sabbatini ultimately removed his belt and threw it to the ground in disgust.
There's been quite a bit of chatter about Matteo Manassero's second pre-18th birthday win and most of it focuses on his lack of length off the tee. Naturally, I could use this opportunity to rant about how the game has become so power-lopsided that it's sad the game could potentially eliminate a skilled but distance deficient player from winning majors, but instead I'll leave it to John Huggan and Steve Elling to discuss what Matteo should do.
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning Drive, is co-host of The Ringer's ShackHouse is the author of eleven books.
