Seve Ballesteros inspired a generation of European golfers with his historic victory at Augusta in 1980. Here, Matt Cooper pays tribute to the late, great Spaniard.
Augusta National and The Masters always held a special place in the heart of Severiano Ballesteros.
Three stages always dominated his storyline - the linksland of Great Britain, the various battlegrounds of the Ryder Cup and the beguiling acres of Augusta National.
But whilst the links witnessed an unconditional love affair between Ballesteros and his adoring British fans, and the Ryder Cup witnessed him at his warrior-like best, at Augusta the tale was more varied, seeing not only highs but also lows.
Ballesteros was special for many reasons - for his reckless long game, his daring short game, his dashing good looks, his strength, his vulnerability, the excitement he stimulated and his unique ability to make men and women alike go weak at the knees - but nowhere were all of those traits more apparent than in the annual visit to Georgia.
Inspired
Ballesteros had dreamt of Augusta National long before he played there, moved by the nights when he had listened to his uncle Ramon Sota relate tales of his own performances there (he had finished sixth in 1965). Young Ballesteros was entranced by Sota's descriptions of the beauty and the bewitching nature of the course.
His first visit there in 1977 had been wonderful but, coming shortly after he had completed national service, he was disappointed with his performance.
Ballesteros never lacked for fire in the belly and no more so than every return to Augusta, but that fire was further fuelled by events in the final round of the 1978 tournament.
Playing alongside Gary Player, Ballesteros was out of contention. The galleries - Augusta's famous "patrons" - assumed the South African was too, something he sensed and resented.
In his famous black attire Player turned to Seve and said, "These people don't think I can win. You watch, I'll show them."
With that he reeled off an astonishing seven birdies in the final 10 holes, playing the back nine in just 30 strokes to complete a stunning victory. When the final putt dropped on the 18th green the young Spaniard embraced the veteran South African joyously; "You have shown me how to win," he said, awed by the pride and passion he had witnessed.
Inspirational
Two years later Seve prepared for his fourth Masters as he had never done before. Every previous visit had seen an improvement in performances (tied 33rd, tied 18th, tied 13th) but this time he intended to win.
Throughout the winter of 1979-80 he worked on a draw that would suit Augusta National and spent hours putting on the fast-running wet sand of Pedrena beach. He abbreviated his backswing for more control, taking heed of Tony Jacklin's advice that he needed to add control to his aggression.
In March he travelled to the States, playing three warm-up events and in the final week of preparation he spent every spare hour putting on the beaches of Florida.
From the very first day that approach worked. He shot rounds of 66-69-68 to lead the field by seven shots with 18 holes to play and his advantage was up to eight with seven holes to play only for him to dump his ball in the water on both the 12th and 13th holes.
He was not just furious with himself, but also characteristically convinced that everyone around him was plotting his defeat - the whispering patrons, the referee who made him re-take a penalty shot, and, specifically, a man who shouted, "Come on Jack!"
But there, on the 13th fairway, he remembered Gary Player's words. "These people," Ballesteros repeated, "don't think I can win. You watch, I'll show them."
And so he did, closing out a monumental victory, one that not only signalled he was on the path to becoming one of the greats, but one which prompted a generation of European golfers to believe in themselves.
Ballesteros' Green Jacket was the first won by a European and yet throughout the 1980s and 90s Europeans would win 11. His attack on Augusta had taken Europe's best men with him, changing the face of world golf as well as the Masters tournament.
Three years later he returned to Georgia, taking his beloved father there for the first time, keen for him to see the course he loved because, "every time you make a mental mistake you pay for it."
Ballesteros played the final round with Tom Watson, trailing the leaders by one stroke and what followed was best described by Ben Crenshaw. "It's like he's driving a Ferrari," he said, "and the rest of us are in Chevrolets. We just couldn't keep up."
Ballesteros completed a four-shot victory by chipping in for par on the final green - at which point the smiled for the first time on a day when he had worn a look of fierce intensity throughout every minute.
Devastated
The Masters tournament of 1986 is remembered by all golf fans for two reasons - the stunning victory of Jack Nicklaus and the heart-breaking collapse of Ballesteros.
In his autobiography, Ballesteros begins Chapter 14 with the words: "Sometimes when I think back to the 1986 Masters I can't stop myself from crying silent tears. Over time I have accepted what happened but it still hurts."
Just as the 13th fairway had proved vital in the final round of 1980, Ballesteros was convinced it was about to prove crucial in 1986. Ahead of him the Golden Bear was on the prowl but the Spaniard first hit a huge draw from the tee, then a wonderful six-iron to six feet.
Watching the ball come to rest he and his brother Vicente, his caddie for the week, shook hands. He holed the putt for eagle and admitted later, "I thought when I eagled the 13th that I was the champion."
When he smashed his drive into the perfect position on the par-five 15th hole, Vicente clapped him excitedly on the back. The Ballesteros brothers were united in the belief that they were about to win and on the brink of honouring their father, who had died shortly before the tournament.
But they were getting ahead of themselves - Ballesteros hit his four-iron approach to the green fat, it found the pond in the front of the green and his challenge was spent.
"If I keep referring to the 1986 Masters," he added in the autobiography, "it's because of the way I lost and, above all, because of my father."
Legacy
The fat four-iron had a profound effect on Ballesteros. Although he came close the following year (he lost a play-off) and won a final Open Championship in 1988, his confidence had been dented by that error.
Long-term back pain also became more and more debilitating to his performance. But he was still in love with Augusta and it was fitting that his final appearance in the top 20, in 1994, came when his great friend Jose Maria Olazabal claimed his first Green Jacket
The Masters saw Seve Ballesteros at his greatest and also when he was most devastated. "I always felt at home at Augusta," he said.
He named his business 'Amen Corner' for one reason only - because the tournament, the course and one corner of it held such a special place in his heart.