Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Thoughts on Seve

Seve Ballesteros' funeral is today. He died at age 54 of brain cancer.

I saw Seve play once, several years ago at the Masters. My plan was to walk the whole course, hole-by-hole, in order. I had just started my walk and was midway up No. 1 when a golf ball rolled up to my feet. I backed away and waited to see whose teeshot it was. Seve came strolling up the fairway.

I wasn't watching golf in Seve's heyday, but I knew this was one of the game's legends approaching me. There was hardly anyone else around (it was a bad teeshot) when he got to his ball. He gave me a nod as he approached the ball. I stood right by him -- close enough to think to myself, "huh, Seve wears Old Spice," -- as he cracked his second shot, a beautiful low iron.

I think what I liked about Seve, if only as a casual fan, was that he was known for his creativity. As a golfer who is forced to also sometimes hit, uh, creative golf shots, I liked it that there was a big name in golf known for the same thing.

Seve now has something in common with my Dad, who died of brain cancer two years ago when he was 62. Having witnessed my Dad's illness firsthand, I have some understanding of how terrible brain cancer is. It's tragic seeing someone who is otherwise healthy being crippled by something going terribly awry in their brain.

So here's me saying cheers to Seve, a cool old-school golfer who passed away far too young. And here's me saying that we have to keep supporting cancer research, because it's such an insidious disease.

Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G

1 comment:

keefus beauceephus, the phat daddy rabbitt said...

Amen to that....thoughts of your father, Seve, and to the all to many lost to this insidious disease...we in golf can do far more to raise funds for research than we presently do....

Let's all get together, and make a mark that will help people fight and overcome cancer!