It was always going to be an emotional occasion for European Ryder Cup captain, Jose Maria Olazabal when he singled out his late, great friend Seve Ballesteros at the Ryder Cup Opening Ceremony declaring: “Seve, we miss you!”
Jose Maria Olazabal declares: “Seve, we will miss you..” (Photo – Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ie)
“I cannot forget a great friend in the name of Seve Ballesteros,” said Olazabal.
“He was a special man. I believe Seve repected the core of Ryder Cup values.
“Seve we miss you!”
And before annoucing the make-up of his opening Foursome pairings Olazabal was obesrved wiping tears from his eyes when Ballesteros was mentioned during the course of the introductions.
The tributes to Ballesteros, who died last year after a battle with cancer, began with Phil Weaver, Chairman of the European Professional Golf Association, and provided an emotional underlining to the ceremony.
“Seve Ballesteros became the heartbeat of that team,” said Weaver.
“Seve spoke from the heart and played with his heart. He triggered a golfing explosion throughout the whole of Europe. The Ryder Cup lost a dynamic talent, a true genius and a great friend.”
Olazabal, who was mentored by fellow-Spaniard Ballesteros and teamed up with him to become the most successful partnership in the Ryder Cup, wiped away tears after Weaver’s remarks.
Olazabal saluted the passion of Chicago-area fans, but said he expected them to “honor the tradition of courtesy and sportsmanship that is the bedrock of the Ryder Cup.”
However despite the emotion of the occasion Olazabal pointed out his team was in Chicago to return to Europe with the Ryder Cup still in their possession.
“We have every intention of taking it back home with us,” he said.
“But whatever the outcome we will leave Medinah as friends.”
Love echoed the same message saying: “These matches are not life and death. Golf has to be played with a certain spirit of graciousness or it’s not golf at all.
“We will start these matches in a spirit of friendship and we will end them the same way,” Love said about what he vowed would be “an honest, fair and intense competition.”
