Masters Rewind: Seve Ballesteros and Spanish Augusta success
Official Film of Seve Ballesteros' 1980 Masters win on Thursday from 8pm on Sky Sports Golf; 1983 victory shown from 8.30pm
By 15th Club and Ali Stafford
Thursday 9 April 2020 10:13, UK
It's 40 years this week since Seve Ballesteros claimed his maiden Masters victory, the first in a long line of European winners at Augusta National.
Find great courses near you with GOLFNOW
Ballesteros became the first European owner of the Green Jacket after a four-shot victory in the 1980 contest, before following it up with a five-stroke win in a weather-delayed finish in 1983.
Jose Maria Olazabal became next Spanish champion with wins in both 1994 and 1999, with Sergio Garcia joining the group in 2017 - on what would have been Ballesteros' 60th birthday - by defeating Justin Rose in a play-off to register a long-awaited major breakthrough.
Image:Garcia's Masters victory came in his 74th major appearance
With April 9 marking what would have been Ballesteros' 63rd birthday, 15th Club's Justin Ray has delved into the archives to offer seven facts you may not have known about the Spanish superstar...
Ballesteros is not only the European Tour's all-time leader in wins, with 50, but also holds the record for most official victories in a single season. In 1986, Ballesteros won six official events on the European Tour, the only time that has happened in the circuit's history. Three of those wins came in succession on the calendar - it's the last time any player has won three straight events on the European Tour
Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland
Jose Maria Olazabal and Ballesteros formed the most prolific duo in Ryder Cup history. The pair hold the records for most matches played (15), points won (12) and matches won (11) by a single pairing in the history of the event. In those 15 career matches together, the tandem lost only twice.
The Spaniard won his first PGA Tour title at the 1978 Greater Greensboro Open. He was just 20 years, 11 months and 24 days old, making him the youngest PGA Tour winner born outside the United States since Harry Cooper in 1923. Ballesteros was four days younger than Rory McIlroy was when he won his first PGA Tour title - the 2010 Quail Hollow Championship.
The Masters Official Film - Ballesteros 1980
In 1979, Ballesteros won his first major championship, The Open at Royal Lytham. At just 22 years old, he was the youngest player to win The Open Championship since William Auchterlonie in 1893 and remains the only player since 1900 to win The Open before his 23rd birthday.
Strokes gained total is a statistic that measures how much better a player's score is than the field average in a given round. From 1980 to 1989, Ballesteros led all players in that statistic at the Masters, gaining 2.59 strokes per round. Tom Watson (2.43) and Ben Crenshaw (2.03) ranked second and third in that category in the 1980s.
The Masters Official Film - Ballesteros 1983
When Ballesteros won the 1980 Masters at age 23, he broke Jack Nicklaus' record as the youngest winner of the tournament. Nicklaus had set the old mark in 1963, 17 years prior. Ballesteros' mark was broken by Tiger Woods in 1997 - also 17 years later.
Ballesteros' triumph at the 1980 Masters set a number of other records, as well. His 10-shot lead with nine holes to play remains the largest such margin in tournament history. His 23 birdies that week broke the old mark of 22 shared by Ben Hogan (1953), Jack Nicklaus (1965) and Raymond Floyd (1976). And with the win, he became the youngest player born outside the United States credited with a second major title since Young Tom Morris in 1869.
The Masters Official Film - Olazabal 1994
Sky Sports Golf is dedicating the evening to those Spanish success stories and has highlights from all three players' wins in Thursday night's schedule, starting with the Official Film from Ballesteros' 1980 victory at 8pm.
The 1983 triumph gets shown at 8.30pm ahead of a documentary highlighting Garcia's 2017 triumph at 9pm, before the night is rounded off by the Official Film from Olazabal's 1994 win at 11pm.
The Masters Official Film - Garcia 2017
Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland
