Final farewell to Seve
Everywhere you looked, black ribbons hung from Spanish flags as family, neighbours and stars bowed heads in grief. It was respectful but not entirely right and mourners knew it.
Suddenly, as Seve reached the little church in Pedrena, applause filled the air and even the hanging clouds appeared to part slightly. A ringing ovation was the only fitting farewell to the man who had engaged so many millions with his artistry.
In truth, everything about the sad day fitted like Seve’s snug St Andrews strides.
A photograph of him punching the air after that birdie dropped in 1984 was propped beside his remains before the altar. The smile as wide as the church aisle.
Children from the Seve Ballesteros Foundation — set up to fight the disease that took its founder’s life on Saturday — wore replicas of his signature blue jumper. The jumper that made it cool to wear your school uniform hacking around the pitch and putt course. If, as Ian Woosnam put it, Seve was the Elvis of golf, Slazenger fashioned their own version of the white jumpsuit.
With them the youngsters all carried three irons — an homage not just to Seve’s unique ability to create unimaginable new shots with that club, but also because that was the rusty weapon he first used to flick stones into the sea on Santander beach as a seven-year-old.
Born to a family of modest means, Seve wasn’t to know his first foray through the fence at his local club would change the game everywhere.
In an emotional address to the 400-strong congregation, Seve’s nephew Ivan said everything that needed to be said about a man who opened the Ryder Cup to continental Europe and golf to the world.
“Fifty four years ago, Seve was born in this village. He was a man who started from the bottom and made it to the top and nobody will ever forget his honour and his dignity which will live with us in this village for the rest of our lives. He changed a sport which was once only for wealthy men in this country. He was a boy from a little village who revolutionised golf in five continents. It was not resources but talent, determination and fighting spirit that made a child’s dreams come through. He was an example to all of us. He was the best and won the hearts of the people.”
And the people flocked to say goodbye — 1,500 mourned outside the church. One of his final wishes was that his funeral should take place in his home village and should be open to everyone. He wanted to be treated “like any other neighbour”.
But of course there were famous faces present too. Six European Ryder Cup captains — the event Seve revived — attended; Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie, Sam Torrance, Ian Woosnam, Bernard Gallacher and the 2012 choice, Jose Maria Olazabal.
Olazabal, Seve’s partner for so many Ryder Cup wins, was visibly distraught throughout the service. Many of Pedrena’s 1,500 inhabitants turned out and a large number of outsiders came to pay their last respects, passing a banner on the approach road to the village which read “Thank You, Seve”.
It was a fitting farewell for a hero.
“He was a big part of my career. We shared lots of battles. It’s very sad to lose him at this age, it’s tragic. It’s been great listening to all the stories.”
“He was a legend here. It was a very sad and moving service. To see this local support is phenomenal. These aren’t golfers here. They are just townspeople. He is hero to them, not just the golfing world.”
“He was Tiger Woods before Tiger Woods. He had it all. He was a one-man army and he was just as good off the course as he was on it. He was about the only one that I ran anything by in terms of pairings. I’ve only met two people in my life with such charisma. One was Arnold (Palmer) — and the other was Seve.”
“In golf we never had anyone like him. He was an innovator.”
“To kiss his urn, it’s very final. It’s tough to stomach. There will never be another Seve.”
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