Hall of Fame professional golfer. A natural talent who was compared with Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus in terms of popularizing the sport in his country, he was a two-time Masters champion (1980 and 1983) and three-time winner of the British Open (1979, 1984, and 1988), as he compiled 91 professional victories. Born Severiano Ballesteros Sota, the son of a noted Spanish oarsman-turned-farmer and the nephew of golfer Ramon Sota, he was given a 3-iron at the age of three. He turned professional at seventeen and in 1976 had a surprise second-place tie-finish with Jack Nicklaus at the British Open. He was a member of three European Ryder Cup champion teams (1985, 1987, and 1995) and captained the 1997 winners. In later years, he suffered from an arthritic back, which limited his playing time. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1999. He died at age 54 in 2011 following a more-than-two-year battle with a brain tumor.
Hall of Fame professional golfer. A natural talent who was compared with Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus in terms of popularizing the sport in his country, he was a two-time Masters champion (1980 and 1983) and three-time winner of the British Open (1979, 1984, and 1988), as he compiled 91 professional victories. Born Severiano Ballesteros Sota, the son of a noted Spanish oarsman-turned-farmer and the nephew of golfer Ramon Sota, he was given a 3-iron at the age of three. He turned professional at seventeen and in 1976 had a surprise second-place tie-finish with Jack Nicklaus at the British Open. He was a member of three European Ryder Cup champion teams (1985, 1987, and 1995) and captained the 1997 winners. In later years, he suffered from an arthritic back, which limited his playing time. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1999. He died at age 54 in 2011 following a more-than-two-year battle with a brain tumor.
Bio by: C.S.
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