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Seve Ballesteros remembered at Augusta

What usually is a night of laughter and memories turned melancholy at the Champions Dinner when Jose Maria Olazabal read a letter to the Masters winners from Seve Ballesteros, who is recovering from a malignant brain tumor.

Ballesteros, a dynamic figure at Augusta National and a two-time champion, has had three operations since he was diagnosed with the tumor in October. He recently began his fourth round of chemotherapy.

Olazabal visited him in the hospital in Madrid, and brought the letter to Augusta National. He declined to say what Ballesteros wrote.

“It was personal,” Olazabal said. “But it was very emotional.”

Masters chairman Billy Payne also declined to repeat what was in the letter, joking that he was only an invited guest.

“It was very emotional, very loving, and as it was read, you could feel in the air the reciprocation from his friends and former champions going all the way back to Spain,” Payne said. “It was an amazing, amazing moment.”

Ballesteros became the youngest Masters champion at age 23—a record later broken by 21-year-old Tiger Woods—when he built a 10-shot lead going to the back nine before settling for a four-shot victory. He won the Masters again three years later.

Chronic back issues forced a premature end to a brilliant career, and Ballesteros retired in 2007. In his final Masters appearance, he shot 86-80 to finish in last place.

“A true champion and a fierce competitor, Seve continues to inspire us all with his passion and his determination,” Payne said. “We look forward to his return to Augusta.”