Ballesteros pulls out of Open
No reason has been given for the 46-year-old Spanish star’s withdrawal from next week’s event at Royal St George’s in Kent, and when he will next be seen on any course is now open to question.
Ballesteros has not played since the Benson and Hedges International Open in May and the European tour said yesterday that the only tournament they have him entered for is the Lancome Trophy in Paris on September 11-14.
The three-time Open champion was to have played the Volvo PGA championship at Wentworth in late May, but just before he was due to tee off he scratched citing ’flu symptoms.
The previous evening Ballesteros had been fined and severely reprimanded for incidents at the Italian Open, where he called tour officials the “PGA Mafia” and criticised chief referee John Paramor, who had disqualified him for not accepting a one-shot penalty for slow play.
Ballesteros played in every Open from his debut in 1975 until 2001, but last year withdrew after being disqualified from the Irish Open for signing for a wrong score after a nightmare first round. He has made the cut in Madeira and Italy this year, but missed it in the Masters, Spanish Open and Benson and Hedges International.
Seve has had not made the cut in the Masters or Open since 1996 and no longer qualifies for the US Open or US PGA.
