Seve calls for Ryder Cup to be extended to four days
The 53-year-old Spaniard, still battling to recover after having four operations since being diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2008, believes the alterations he is suggesting would be good for the fans, players, sponsors and television.
“Everything in life can improve and sometimes changes can be beneficial,” Ballesteros said yesterday.
“From the players’ point of view (it would be good) because being at a venue from the Monday and waiting four days to play (on the Friday) it is sometimes very long in my opinion. You really want to play and start the competition.
“For the audience it is also very good because they see more golf, and also for the sponsors and television. I think that would be a positive change,” added the five-times major winner.
Ballesteros, synonymous with the Ryder Cup during his career, would also like to see a change in the schedule to ensure each member of the 12-man European and US teams is involved on the first day of the event.
Ballesteros, who played in eight Ryder Cups and captained Europe to victory in Spain in 1997, has decided to put down his clubs in order to concentrate on the recovery programme.
“I stopped practising last summer as I decided to focus on the therapy which I need to follow to get better. The recovery process in this kind of disease takes a very long time.
“Mentally I am feeling okay even though physically I’m very tired as I started a new treatment at the end of December. I continue working in the gym as much as I can and I will have a medical check in the coming weeks to see how I am doing. I continue positively and it is very important all the support I am receiving from lots of people especially my family.
Ballesteros is the patron for Madrid’s bid to host the 2018 Ryder Cup and they’ll be up against France, Germany, Holland and Portugal to stage it.
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