SEVE
(SEH-vee)
Spanish
former professional golfer Common clue: Golfer
Ballesteros; Ballesteros of the PGA; Ballesteros on the
links Crossword
puzzle frequency:
once a year Frequency
in English language:
20707 / 86800 Video: Severiano
Ballesteros Tribute
I'd
like to see the fairways more narrow. Then everyone would have to
play from the rough, not just me. ~
Seve Ballesteros
Severiano
"Seve" Ballesteros Sota (9 April 1957 – 7 May
2011) was a Spanish professional golfer, a World No. 1 who was
one of the sport's leading figures from the mid-1970s to the
mid-1990s. He gained attention in the golfing world in 1976, when
at the age of 19 he finished second at the The Open Championship
(British Open). A member of a gifted golfing family, Ballesteros
won five major championships between 1979 and 1988: the Open
Championship three times, and the Masters Tournament twice. He
was also successful in the Ryder Cup, helping the European team
to five wins both as a player and captain, and won the World
Match Play Championship a record-tying five times. He is best
known for his great short game, and his erratic driving of the
golf ball. He is generally regarded as the greatest Spanish
golfer of all time.
Due
to back-related injuries, Ballesteros struggled with form during
the 1990s. In spite of this, he continued to be involved in the
game of golf, creating The Seve Trophy and running a golf course
design business. Ballesteros eventually retired from competitive
golf in 2007 due to continued poor form.
At
Madrid-Barajas Airport on 6 October 2008, Ballesteros lost
consciousness and was admitted to hospital. Six days later, he
confirmed that he had been diagnosed with a malignant brain
tumor. On 15 October, Spanish news agency Efe reported that he
had undergone a 12-hour operation to resect the tumor, the first
of four operations he would have. A hospital spokeswoman stated
that surgeons had removed a sizable part of the tumor. On 23
October, it was confirmed publicly that the tumor was classified
as a cancerous oligoastrocytoma, and after a rapid deterioration
of his health, further surgery took place on 24 October to
stabilize him and try to remove the remainder of the tumor. On 24
October, it was confirmed that the tumor had been removed after a
6½-hour operation. On 3 November, it was confirmed by the
hospital that he was starting his rehabilitation in the intensive
care unit, and was breathing steadily. On 18 November, he was
moved out of the intensive care unit and changed wards at
Madrid's La Paz Hospital to continue his rehabilitation.
Ballesteros
was discharged from hospital on 9 December 2008. He then returned
home to northern Spain and underwent chemotherapy treatment as an
outpatient. In January 2009 a message on his website said he had
responded well to one course of chemotherapy.
"I
am very motivated and working hard although I am aware that my
recovery will be slow and therefore I need to be patient and have
a lot of determination. For these reasons I am following strictly
all the instructions that the doctors are giving me. Besides, the
physiotherapists are doing a great job on me and I feel better
every day."
Ballesteros
completed a second course of chemotherapy at Madrid's La Paz
Hospital in February 2009. Speaking through his website he said,
"The results of the check-up were really positive, better
even than the first ones." He finished a third round of
treatment in March 2009, and completed his fourth and final
course of chemotherapy a month later.
In
June, Ballesteros made his first public appearance after
treatment for the brain tumor. He said it was a "miracle"
to be alive and he thanked everyone who had been involved in his
care and welfare.
At
his first public appearance, Ballesteros announced the launch of
the "Seve Ballesteros Foundation". This foundation was
set up to help those with cancer fight it. The foundation aims to
research cancer, especially brain tumors, but it will also help
financially challenged young golfers, so they can be as
successful as him.
On
6 May 2011, Ballesteros' family released a press release
announcing that his neurological condition had "suffered a
severe deterioration". He died within hours of the
announcement in the early hours of 7 May 2011; his older brother
Baldomero confirmed the precise time of death at 2:10 am CEST.
This
article is licensed under the GNU
Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia
article "Severiano Ballesteros".
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