7 May 2011
Last updated at
08:40 GMT
Aged just 19, Severiano Ballesteros is thrust into the spotlight at the 1976 Open at Royal Birkdale, finishing second to Johnny Miller and tied with Jack Nicklaus
Three years later the charismatic Spaniard clinches his first major, winning the Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes despite driving way off line on the 16th and hitting a car
He becomes the youngest winner of the Open in the 20th century with a three-shot victory over Jack Nicklaus and Ben Crenshaw including a sublime run of five birdies and an eagle in one round
Seve also triumphs in his next major appearance - the 1980 Masters - to become the first European winner at Augusta, helped into the Green Jacket by the previous year's winner, Fuzzy Zoeller
Seve is handed his second Green Jacket in 1983, from defending Masters champion Craig Stadler, and the next year he denies Tom Watson a sixth win in the Open with victory at St Andrews
He also wins the World Match Play for the third time in 1984 - on his way to five victories (including 1985 and 1991) in the once-prestigious Wentworth event
In 1987 Ballesteros, alongside compatriot and playing partner Jose Maria Olazabal, is part of the European Ryder Cup side under Tony Jacklin's captaincy that wins on American soil for first time
A stunning closing 65 at Lytham, one of the finest final rounds in major history, is enough to beat Nick Price by two shots and Nick Faldo by six as Seve wins his third Open and final major in 1988
Seve competes in eight Ryder Cups, playing 37 matches in total, winning 20, 11 of which come from his partnership with Olazabal, including two halves and only two defeats
His proudest moment in the Ryder Cup comes in 1997 as he captains the side, assisted by Miguel Jimenez, and hands a debut to Ignacio Garrido in the first match on Spanish soil
Ballesteros's Europeans successfully defend the Ryder Cup at Valderrama with victory by a point to crown his involvement in the event
Injuries hamper his game before he returns to Augusta in 2007 after a four-year absence for the 71st Masters, but he shoots 86 and 80, before trying his hand at a champions tour after turning 50 in April that year
Seve takes part in the Regions Charity Classic in May 2007 but, with his career in serious decline, he announces his decision to retire ahead of the Open at Carnoustie in July 2007
Seve is taken to hospital on 6 October 2008 after losing consciousness and is diagnosed with a brain tumour six days later; despite appearing to recover, on 6 May 2011 his family announce that his condition has deteriorated
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