The world remains in mourning for the loss of Seve Ballesteros.

Everyone associated with the game has a Seve story to tell. One of mine epitomises why Seve was so popular. 

I was at the Ryder Cup in 1993 at The Belfry when working for television. 

During one of the practice rounds, I was out following Seve and his group. 

After the players had teed off on the 17th, he was walking from the tee in fairly close proximity to the ropes when a father, waiting for the appropriate moment, almost pushed his young son with golf club in hand, in front of Seve. 

The father had his camera at the ready and was rewarded by Seve taking the time to put his arms around his son and give him an impromptu lesson as well as flashing a few of his glorious smiles in the direction of the lad’s father to be recorded and the photos kept as a prized possession.

I don’t suppose for a minute that either that boy or his father will be reading this article, but they will both have a treasured memory and a record of a couple of minutes that will last a lifetime. That moment was just so typical of how and why Seve endeared himself to the British public.

I think that Seve’s love affair with the Ryder Cup was one of the main factors in elevating it to the status that it enjoys today. 

His passion was so evident to everyone watching him participate, and was infectious to his fellow team members. Seve really epitomises what the Ryder Cup is all about to Europeans. The messages that he sent to Alison Nicholas and the European Solheim Cup team at Rich Harvest Farms in 2009 were inspirational and helped elevate the team’s performance to within touching distance of victory. 

He will forever be remembered by everyone who ever saw him play golf and all who met him.