'They don't make shotmakers like him now'

GOLF/SEVE AND IRELAND:ONCE TOUCHED by his magic, you never forgot. And the influence of Seve Ballesteros – particularly in the Ryder Cup locker room – impacted on Irish players over the generations. "He was one of the greatest golfers ever to set foot on this planet," remarked Eamonn Darcy, who was on the 1987 Europe team at Muirfield Village that created history by winning the Ryder Cup on American soil for the first time.

Whilst the younger generation used words like “genius” in the case of Graeme McDowell, and “legend” in the case of Rory McIlroy, Darcy recalled: “I will never forget how he took Jose Maria Olazabal under his wing in the Ryder Cup and they became the greatest pairing ever . . . he thrived on pressure, just thrived on it.

“That Toney Penna three-wood out of the bunker (at PGA National in 1983) was typical of him. The harder the shot, the more creative he was. They don’t make shot-makers like him now. And people just loved him. He was one of the most loved players ever to put on a pair of golf shoes.”

Darcy added: “He was just so charismatic and so wonderful to watch. He was a big favourite in Ireland and I am very sorry that he is gone.”

Paul McGinley – who grew up inspired by Ballesteros – said: “What I remember is the charisma and the passion. The Ryder Cup would not be what it is without Seve. He led the charge. Nobody in the game has ever had the same charisma. When he smiled, the whole world smiled with him . . . and it was the same when he scowled. His emotions were multiplied by ten all the time. I think that’s what endeared him so much to so many people.

“Seve was one of those guys where, if you liked him, he liked you back ten times more. And if you didn’t like Seve, he hated you back ten times more. He was that kind of personality . . . he lived his life in a very emotional way and that’s what made him so endearing.”

McGinley’s first encounter with seeing Ballesteros in the flesh also brought with it a memory he cherishes to this day. It was at the Carrolls Irish Open at Royal Dublin and the teenage McGinley went along to watch the maestro during a practice round. “There might have been only 20 or 30 people around the tee at the Par 4 16th at the time and somebody challenged him to try and drive the green on his knees. The hole was about 280 yards and he did it.”

In latter years, McGinley – who played in the Seve Trophy in 2002 and 2005 and captained the Britain and Ireland team in the 2009 match – got to know Ballesteros very well. “In the last few years of his life, after he got sick, it was extraordinary how humble he became. So humble, so touching and maybe not as emotional as he was. I saw a change in his personality where instead of being sorry for himself, it was quite the opposite. It was a case of him being very appreciative of the game, his friends, his family.

“The European Tour, not just the Ryder Cup, would not be what it is without Seve . . . (and) I think it’s going to be a very emotional Ryder Cup (at Medinah) with Jose Maria (Olazabal) as captain next year and Seve not being there,” said McGinley.

Last year, at the Ryder Cup in Celtic Manor, Europe’s captain Colin Montgomerie arranged for a giant photo of Ballesteros and Olazabal to dominate the team room to serve as an inspiration to his players. One of those to respond to that was McIlroy, who tweeted: “Seve is and always will be what is great about the game of golf. A true legend in every way. An inspiration for so many people. RIP.”

GOLF IN MOURNING WHAT THEY SAID

"The best tribute we can pay to Seve is to go on playing for him, although no tribute will ever do justice to everything he did for golf and to everything he gave us."

– Jose Maria Olazabal

"Seve was one of the most talented and exciting golfers to ever play the game. His creativity and inventiveness on the golf course may never be surpassed. His death came much too soon."

– Tiger Woods

"Everybody wanted to be as exciting and fun and flashy as Seve. Maybe hit a few more fairways, but everybody wanted that style. They wanted to be aggressive and able to play like that."

– Davis Love

"Because of the way he played the game of golf, you were drawn to him. You wanted to go watch him play. He had charisma and he kind of had so many shots that it was fun to watch him play."

– Phil Mickelson

"Severiano represented a beginning and an end in the history of Spanish sport. His example paved the way for the extraordinary success our sport is currently enjoying."

– Jose Luis Zapatero, Spanish Prime Minister

"You always knew when Seve walked in a room even if you had your back to him. He oozed charisma and brought a whole new meaning to aura. Seve gave his everything for golf."

– Lee Westwood

"I am devastated. He inspired me so much throughout my career and I admired him above all for his fighting spirit, never more so than in the manner in which he has battled this terrible illness."

– Sergio Garcia

"Seve was an absolute hero of mine and I modelled so much of my game on him. Seve was a very proud man in golf and in life in general – he never backed down from a challenge."

– Ernie Els

"There are very few legends in the world, Seve is one of them. I never saw such a talent to swing a golf club and we may never see it again. We have lost one of the great icons of the game."

– Colin Montgomerie

"Seve was the most charismatic and artistic golfer I have ever seen play the game. He helped the tremendous growth of the European Tour during the 70s and 80s."

– Pádraig Harrington

"He was outstanding for his determination and his passion in everything he did. He never gave up, he always found a way out . . . Seve's passion for the Ryder Cup was unique."

– Miguel Angel Jimenez