The Living Legacy of Ballesteros

A long retired Seve Ballesteros is gravely ill, far too ill for a man so little past 50. But, illness doesn't always respect relative youth and it never respects life. As we face the possibility of losing Ballesteros, it's right to reflect on what his style as a player has meant to the game.

For those of you who aren't old enough, his was a game of daring. He knew his true masterpiece was the totality of his game not the individual victories. In his prime, he was an artist who didn't fear the occasional missed brush stroke or smudge on his canvas. In the end, he became lost in a maze of his own creation, a man who embodied Bruce Springsteen's darkest proclamation:

God have mercy on the man who doubts what he's sure of...

Watching Seve walk down the stairs from his inspired heights to his personal basement of doubt was very hard. He grasped blindly at theory after theory, seeking to restore his art with an alchemy of bad science and he failed.

But he can still teach us all. American players have the most to learn for their worship at the alter of technology and science is far more devout than that of the Europeans, at least for now. The Europeans have the most to lose. Right now, it is that tour that is producing the more interesting players but if they make the mistake of blindly following the sorry path of the technically correct to the exclusion of all else pro golfer, they run the risk of losing their golfing souls as well. They can start by not fleeing their home continent to live in Florida, but I digress.

Seve's lesson? Play. Take a chance. Celebrate the uniqueness of your game. Let go of the belief in the one right way, small world, view of the game.

In fact, take it a step further and apply Seve's Lesson to your entire life...