John E Morgan relives a memorable moment from Seve Ballesteros
Thursday 7 September 2017 15:37, UK
The late, great Seve Ballesteros played one of the most astonishing shots ever witnessed on the European Tour back in 1993, and John E Morgan has been reliving the scene in Switzerland.
Ballesteros was in contention for his fourth Omega European Masters title at Cran-sur-Sierre after staging a final-round rally to close in on the leaders, but his hopes looked dashed when he blocked his drive at the 18th into deep trouble.
With his ball buried in the trees and close to a wall, and with seemingly no gap in the branches to advance his ball closer to the green, caddie Billy Foster urged the Spanish legend to pitch back out to the fairway and attempt to get up and down for par.
But this was not in the Ballesteros playbook! The five-time major champion ignored Foster's pleas and picked out a near-impossible route through the tree limbs and over the wall in the hope of ending up in, or somewhere near, the bunker short and right of the green.
And, of course, he pulled it off and moments later he was punching the air in frenzied celebration after chipping in for a sensational birdie, although Seve's outstanding finish was not quite enough to force a play-off as Barry Lane held on for a one-shot win over Ballesteros and Miguel Angel Jimenez.
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A commemorative plaque now sits at the scene of the miraculous escape, and Morgan has been reflecting on the magic moment during this week's tournament in the Swiss Alps.
Watch the video above to remember Seve's moment of magic at the 1993 Omega European Masters ...
