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Padraig Harrington has criticised the European Tour for failing to hand Severiano Ballesteros a more central role.

The Spaniard, arguably European golf's biggest-ever name, is currently in Madrid's La Paz hospital as he recovers from surgery to treat a brain tumour.

Harrington - who is now just two behind Ballesteros' record of five major triumphs - feels European chiefs should have done more to make the 51-year-old a figurehead for their Tour.

"It is a shame that over the last number of years, he has not been leading out the European Tour as an ambassador," he commented ahead of the season-ending Volvo Masters.

"It's only when something like this happens that you see how much he's missed.

"Hopefully, going forward, the Tour can build more of a relationship with Seve and have him at the forefront of our Tour.

"Is it Harry Vardon we have on our new Tour thing (logo)? Why isn't it Seve? He is the man when you think about it. He is the European Tour, and it is at times like this that you kind of say, 'well, we wish we had more of Seve'.

"He has that sort of charisma, he just needs to enter a room and everyone knows he is there.

"It's only now you kind of recognise that an opportunity has been missed to give something back to Seve. Because there's no doubt he brought the Tour an awful lot over the years."