Ballesteros was recalled by his rivals

Ballesteros was recalled by his rivals

Those who competed against him recalled what a fierce competitor Ballesteros was in his prime. Davis Love faced Ballesteros in his first three matches as a Ryder Cup rookie, which was quite a baptism against the man who put the Ryder Cup on the map. Before continental Europe was added in 1979, the Ryder was a one-sided affair that generated little interest outside of traditional golf fans. Ballesteros led Europe to multiple victories that instilled a competitive fire that still burns bright on both sides of the Atlantic "He was an icon in the game, somebody I looked up to," Love said. "I copied his swing, everybody wanted to Els And Former President Bush Inducted Into World Golf Hall Of Fame be as exciting, fun and flashy as Seve -- but maybe hit a few more fairways. Everybody loved that style. They wanted to be aggressive and flamboyant and to play like that." In some ways, that's how many top stars play the game these days. Blow it down there off the tee, find it and hit it again. Seve was never the best ballstriker, but nobody ever ad-libbed their way around a course better. "It was great to get to play against him some," said Love, 47.

"It is sad and makes you realize that no matter how great a player you are, your time will come eventually. He enjoyed his life." Similarly to Love, Mickelson has vivid memories of his early encounters with Ballesteros before he made hay as a professional. "He's certainly had an impact on the game, but to me the greatest thing about Seve is his flair and his charisma," Mickelson said. "Because of the way he played the game of golf, you were ping g15 driver drawn to him. You wanted to go watch him play. He had charisma and he had so many shots that it was fun to watch him play." They were kindred spirits, for sure. Mickelson badly wanted to play with Ballesteros, and a practice round was arranged at Phil's first PGA Tour event, the 1988 San Diego Open. "From that day on, he couldn't have been nicer to me," Mickelson said. "We had a great round of golf. He showed me a few things, showed me a few shots, and ever since then we've had a good relationship for the last 23 years that I've known him." This year as defending titlist at the Masters, Mickelson served Spanish food at the annual champions dinner in honor of Ballesteros, who has been unable to travel for the past two years. Former world No. 1 Vijay Singh cut his teeth on the European Tour when Ballesteros was still very much a fixture.