Ballesteros remains Cup inspiration
MEDINAH, ILL. Seve Ballesteros will be with the European Ryder Cup team every step of the way this week at Medinah Country Club.
An iconic image of Ballesteros — his clenched-fist salute to the crowd after holing the winning putt on the 72nd hole at St. Andrews to win the 1984 British Open — is on the golf bags of the European players. Ballesteros, who died in May 2011 at 54, will forever be associated with the Ryder Cup. He captained Europe to victory in 1997 in his native Spain and played in eight Ryder Cups. Ballesteros and European Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal formed a fearsome partnership, going 11-2-2 as a team.
“He always said that that was the sweetest moment in his career, winning at St. Andrews, making that putt to beat Tom Watson,” Olazabal said Tuesday. “It’s tough for me, but it’s the first time that Seve is not going to be with us at the Ryder Cup. He has meant a lot to me and to the team, and I wanted to have something that was present to each and every player.”
Quasi captain:
Six-time NBA champ and avid golfer Michael Jordan is a member at Medinah. And he’s a member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team. U.S. captain Davis Love III made Jordan, who has been to every Ryder Cup starting in 1995, a captain’s assistant.
“He just loves it. I know there are a lot of people in this gallery that can say the same thing, but there are very few guys that are ever called best athlete in the world that come and follow every Ryder Cup match,” said Love, who introduced Jordan to golf when they both were attending the University of North Carolina in the 1980s.
“He’s just a good motivation for a lot of these guys that don’t know him.”
Tiger Woods met Jordan for the first time the night before they played their first golf together.
“Michael being who he has been in the sport and what he’s done, for him to want to be part of this is special for us. This is one of the greatest athletes to ever live, and, you know, he wants to be a part of golf and be a part of and share with us what he’s been through.”