Seve Ballesteros fights for his life

I had the pleasure of covering the Ryder Cup when it was played at Valderrama in Spain (Hey! Somebody had to go … ), and the lingering memory of that U.S. defeat was the spirit of Seve Ballesteros. The European captain single-handedly willed his team over the U.S. He was everywhere, roaming the course in a cart that seemed to be able to disappear on seventh hole and appear on the 12. His fight, his spirit, his strength brought the Europeans an easy win.

I'll never forget, too, the crowd cheering wildly as Constantno Rocca birdied a hole in a match against Tiger Woods. As Rocca pumped his fist, the crowd roared while Woods walked with a blank face to the next hole. It might have been the only time the world's greatest golfer looked a tiny bit rattled. It was all because of Seve – and it started with Ballesteros proclaiming: "I have 12 guys who can beat Tiger Woods." Great stuff, great theater.

"Whenever we were unsure of a shot, Seve would appear, out of the blue," Spain's Ignacio Garrido said in this story detailing the European win. "He was our father. We may have held the clubs, but Seve hit the shots."

Ballesteros was one of few golfers who made the game enjoyable to watch. He was emotional, fiery, and he could make any shot from any spot. I remember standing at the bottom of a hill in a tournament and watching him line up to hit a shot next to the green with his left foot about even with his shoulder. He opened up the club, choked up and chunked it about six feet away.

So reading about Ballesteros fighting for his life was a bit emotional.  He is undergoing his fourth bout with chemotherapy after having a cancerous brain tumor removed. The story is sad, but also inspiring in a way that only Ballesteros can make it. As he said: ""I'm not called Seve Ballesteros, I'm called Seve Mulligan because I've had the luck to be given a mulligan, which in golf is a second chance. I've been given the mulligan of my life."