The National Golf Center celebrated yesterday, the birthday of the great Cantabrian champion, its “Seve Ballesteros Foundation Challenge” tournament, in which all the participants paid tribute to him and remembered his figure. Javier, Seve’s eldest son, presided over the prize-giving ceremony together with Gonzaga Escauriaza, president of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation; Juan José Villanueva, president of the Panama Golf Group; and Roberto Eduardo Arango, ambassador of the Republic of Panama in Spain.
Javier Ballesteros, Enrique Ponce, José María Gutiérrez “Guti”, Pepín Liria, Lorenzo Rico, Cecilio Alonso, Francis Lorenzo, Carlos Alonso Santillana, Verónica Mengod, Blanca Fernández Ochoa, Luis Alfonso de Borbón, Juan Enrique Estebaranz, José Luis Capón, Ricardo López Felipe… took part in this event, among others.
Many players who have gathered at the National Golf Center had the “privilege” of playing alongside Seve and others, although they did not know him personally, were initiated in this sport “thanks to Seve”. The figure of the champion has been praised and remembered by all on such an important date: “Seve was pure passion, imagination, sensitivity, competitiveness, magic, winning mentality… He changed the rules of the game and taught us to love golf. All of us who are here started playing trying to imitate him because he did something different and very attractive. He transmitted his passion to us and got us hooked on golf,” declared the participants unanimously at the end of the round.
Enrique Ponce: “I played with Seve many times in Madrid, Bilbao, Sancti Petri, Pedreña… It was a privilege to be with him: the simple fact of seeing him with a club in his hands and giving those courageous strokes that only he knew how to give, is something I will never forget. I learned many things from him. I was struck by his simplicity, humanity, fighting spirit and courage; nothing frightened him, neither on the golf course nor in life, and he was unique in getting out of complicated situations. Severiano transmitted a very valuable virtue for which he always stood out: self-confidence. When you were by his side, he made you believe in what you were capable of”.
Ángel Acha won first prize in the Scratch category with 40 points, displaying the magnificent level of play that a few weeks ago earned him the title of Spanish University Champion; José Ramón Chico and Juan Carlos Velayos were the best by Handicap, in first and second category respectively; Lola Fernández Ochoa was proclaimed champion among the Ladies; and Agustín Millán was the Senior winner.
After thanking “all the camps in Spain and Panama that have joined the “Challenge” and those of you who have joined me today to remember our father”, Javier Ballesteroson behalf of his siblings Miguel and Carmenon behalf of his siblings Miguel and Carmen, presented two sculptures of “Seve’s hands” to the Panama Golf Group. Panama Golf Groupthe sponsor of the “Seve Ballesteros Foundation Challenge” and was represented by its president Juan José Villanueva and the board members Arturo Sainz and Jaime Carrizowho have been visibly moved to receive it from the son of their “idol”; and to Gonzaga EscauriazaThe President of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, who thanked him, emphasizing that “the most important thing about Severiano, even more important than his many trophies, was the passion he knew how to instill in the spectators who began to approach golf thanks to him, and who he made live the tournaments with the same intensity as he lived them. That has made him unique. The “Seve’s hands”, the work of sculptor Juan Soler, are made of bronze and are numbered pieces of an edition of 555, which commemorated the 50th birthday of the champion.
The Seve Ballesteros Foundation is carrying out this year the third edition of the “Desafío”: a series of charity golf tournaments taking place all over Spain and in five courses in Panama, with the aim of raising funds that will go to cancer research. Also collaborating are: Hugo Boss, the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, Añoreta Golf, the Consejo Superior de Deportes and the Fundación Deporte y Desafío.
Leave a Reply