Severiano Ballesteros was born on 9 April 1957 in Pedreña, a small village on the Southern shore of the Bay of Santander in the North of Spain. At the age of 10 he took part in his first caddies tournament. He recorded a score of 51 over the 9 holes. The following year, he came second with 42. At the age of 12, then playing the full 18 holes, he won the tournament with a score of 79.

On 22 March 1974 he turned professional (he was not quite 17). His first tournament was the Spanish Professionals Championship at San Cugat. He came 20th. His first triumph came in Pedreña when he won the under-25 Championship of Spain and the following week he was runner-up at the Santander Open. Just another week later he won the Vizcaya Open, all the North of Spain circuit. At an international level, his best performance was at the Italian Open where he came 5th.

In 1977 he again came first on the Order of Merit and in 1978, with victories in the U.S.A., Kenya and Japan, he became a truly international golfer.

Seve won his first British Open in 1979, becoming the youngest winner of the century.

His next appearance in a major was at the U.S. Masters where, in 1980, he again amazed everyone.

The winning streak of two consecutive Grand Slam victories petered out in the United States where he was disqualified in the U.S. Open for arriving late for his tee-off. This was his first great disappointment.

To talk about world golf was to talk about Seve and, for this reason, when he refused to play exclusively on the American Tour, the issue was taken up with the top mandatory circles of the all powerful U.S. PGA Tour, resulting in an historical change of ruling.

In 1983 Seve conquered his second green jacket. Tom Kite, runner-up said, "When he gets going, it's almost as if Seve is driving a Ferrari and the rest of us are in Chevrolets", thus showing the perfect symbiosis existing between the player and the tournament.
 

In 1984 the British Open was held at St. Andrews: Severiano rose to the occasion, showing his concentration, command and winning capacity. Without doubt, this is one of the key moments of golfing history. His last decisive putt for birdie was seen the world over and became the hallmark of an era. So much was this so that the image has become the new logo for Seve and his companies.

No major tournament victory is simple. The final round of the 1988 British Open was grandiose, precisely in the same scenario as Seve's 1979 win, Royal Lytham St. Anne's. With a score of 65, Seve was clearly ahead of his rivals, all great champions. Undoubtedly, one of the best final rounds of any British Open. With his triumph, Seve confirmed his domination of the game throughout the eighties.

There is no doubt that the British Open is very special for Seve, just as the Masters is. This is also true of the World Match Play Championship that has been won by Seve five times.

If, in individual events Seve has created a style of his own, in the Ryder Cup his presence from 1979 and, particularly from 1983, has been the element of inspiration that changed the course of this competition. That was the first time for many years that Europe was defying the U.S.A. For sure, the 1985 victory was very exciting but perhaps of even greater significance was the 1987 recap on American soil.

The victories achieved by Europe over America made following editions of the Ryder Cup truly spectacular and, for this reason, Seve was bent on having the competition staged in Spain. Eventually, Seve's dream came true and the 1997 Ryder Cup took place in Spain and was played on the Costa del Sol. Ballesteros himself was captain of the European team that justly beat the Americans. That Ryder Cup is remembered by many as "Seve's Ryder Cup": that is, the victory of a proper team over individual (American) stardom.

Calling again upon this team spirit, the Seve Trophy has been created, or in other words, Continental Europe versus Great Britain & Ireland, somewhat similar to the matches played in the Seventies.