Ballesteros in clubhouse confrontation

EVEN though he has not played a single event this year because of injury, Seve Ballesteros could be back in trouble with the European tour.

Jose Maria Zamora, one of the circuit’s tournament directors and the official with whom Ballesteros had one of two slow-play rows last year, has reported an incident during a Spanish amateur event at the former Open champion’s home course Pedrena.

Zamora, who was playing in the event, yesterday refused to go into details of the clubhouse confrontation but confirmed he has given details to David Garland, director of tour operations.

The matter, now under investigation, comes less than 18 months after Ballesteros was fined and severely reprimanded over an outburst in Italy when he refused to accept a slow-play penalty, called officials the “PGA Mafia” and accused the tour’s chief referee of victimising him.

It was in Madeira in March last year that Ballesteros clashed with Zamora after two referees told him to speed up. He claimed that one of them told him “I don’t care” when he tried to explain why his three-ball was taking so long.

When Zamora doubted that such a thing would have been said Ballesteros accused him of calling him a liar, and the two conducted a furious row in the car park.