When you think of the greats of European golf over the years, it is hard to look past Seve Ballesteros as being the greatest to ever do it from the continent.
The Spaniard is synonymous with the whole of Europe and the ‘Spirit of Seve’ is something that goes hand in hand with being on the European Ryder Cup team.
Ballesteros was nothing short of a magician with a golf club. His short-game is arguably the best there’s ever been, while his five major wins prove he wasn’t all for show.
In short, Ballesteros has a strong argument to be considered the best player to ever come from outside the United States and it remains a tragedy that his life was cut short at such an early age.
Still, the Spaniard is worth celebrating and with The Open Championship coming up this week, what better way to remember him than looking back at his first ever major win.
How Seve Ballesteros won his first major at just 22
The world of golf already knew a lot about Seve Ballesteros before he rocked up to The Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes in 1979.
Just a few years earlier, Ballesteros had shocked the world of golf.
As a teenager making only his second ever appearance at The Open, the Spaniard finished runner up at Royal Birkdale to leave a lasting impression and one that would stick around for years to come.
He followed that up with T15 and T17 the following two years before coming away with the win in 1979 at Lytham and St Annes.
In the end, a rampant Ballesteros won by three shots but what made his win as a 22-year-old all the more impressive was the field he beat to do it.
Just behind him were Ben Crenshaw and the great Jack Nicklaus, while the likes of Greg Norman, Hale Irwin and Tom Watson were all in the mix at one point.
Ballesteros’ class shone through, as he carded a final round of 70 while overnight leader Hale Irwin – who led Ballesteros by two shots after round three – crumbled and shot a woeful 78.
It was the start of things to come for young Seve, as he’d go on to win two more Open titles while adding two Masters wins to his CV.
Looking back now, what the world of golf would give to see Seve teeing it up one more time around Royal Portrush.
Sadly, we’ll never see that day but with moments like the 79′ Open to remember, the spirit of Seve is certainly living on.