15-years on from his passing, and Seve Ballesteros’ legacy is still threaded through the fabric of European golf.
European players across the golfing world, from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf, paid tribute to the great man, wearing his iconic navy trousers and white shirt during their opening rounds of The Truist and LIV Virginia. Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Jon Rahm, and Sergio Garcia were among them.
Even more so than his five major titles, Ballesteros’ legacy is written in the Ryder Cup. he helped lay the foundation and identity of Team Europe, which is still evident today.
On the 15th anniversary of his passing, Europe’s Ryder Cup captain, Luke Donald, said how Ballesteros still helps him in his role to this day.
Among the tributes for Ballesteros was Donald’s, who, via Ryder Cup Europe’s social media, explained how the Spaniard inspired him throughout his career.
Donald said, “Hello everyone, as we pay our respects to the great Seve Ballesteros on this, the 15-year anniversary of his passing, I wanted to add my own personal tribute.
“I think Seve, for me, has meant different things over my career. As an aspiring junior, he was my idol. The way he went around picking apart golf courses, his charisma, and flair for the game, and obviously a short game that was revered by anyone who played golf. We wanted to be like Seve.
“In the last few years as captain of Team Europe, he has meant even more. The legacy he holds in the Ryder Cup is second to none. He’s a guiding star for what it truly means to represent Team Europe.
“Thank you for all that you have given to our game and to the Ryder Cup. Your spirit and passion will always live on through European golf, and to every player who has the honor of wearing the blue and gold. Thank you.”
As expected, a classy tribute by Donald who always seems to hit the right notes at times like this.
From the current Ryder Cup captain to a future one, most likely. Rose was among the many to pay tribute to Ballesteros with his outfit at The Truist, and he took to social media afterward to share his thoughts on this.
He said, “15 years since his passing, we pay tribute to Seve today, a legend of the Ryder Cup and an icon of our game.
“Great seeing all European players around the world on all the different tours wearing navy and white in his honour.”
It’s a nice sentiment from Rose to put the PGA Tour’s war with LIV Golf aside for this message. All in all, the golfing world did well to honour Ballesteros’ legacy.
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