There is no one better placed than Javier Ballesteros to judge the charisma of modern-day professional golfers – the son of the sport’s greatest character.
Javier Ballesteros was born two years after his father Seve won his final major title at the 1988 Open at Lytham. Still, the legendary Spaniard’s legacy isn’t lost on him or the generation of the vivid characters he mixed it with.
Now 33, Javier believes the sport lacks charisma and is found wanting for players who mirror the same swash-buckling and outspoken persona that Seve portrayed on his way to becoming a five-time major winning icon.
“I think times have changed a lot. Players are different now,” he said to NCG at the 152nd Open at Royal Troon.
“In the past, maybe not everybody used to go to university, maybe a few more players came from humble families or a different background. I can’t see it these days.
“I really like Rickie Fowler and Viktor Hovland, there’s a bunch of good players. I like Jon (Rahm) a lot, I’m a very big fan of Sergio (Garcia), and I’m not saying this just because he is Spanish, I’m a very big fan of Sergio. That’s for sure.
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Javier Ballesteros: ‘I think times have changed. Players are different now’
“I think times have changed. There’s not that much charisma in golf these days. I couldn’t really explain why because there are such amazing players, but I believe in the past, it was just different. Like my dad, Tom Watson, Greg Norman, Johnny Miller, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Arnold Palmer, it was a little different. I can’t explain why, maybe players try to control themselves more because of the media. I’m not sure.”
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Rarely has a death in golf left such an impact both inside and outside the ropes. A giant flag of Seve was unveiled on the 1st tee at the 2023 Ryder Cup in Italy, a tournament Ballesteros played in eight times for Europe and captained once.
Javier and his sister Carmen still receive and welcome messages from fans lucky enough to have encountered Señor Ballesteros, while still feeling the love of fans in person at events like The Open. With three Claret Jugs in his trophy cabinet, a lot of this affection unsurprisingly comes from the UK.
Javier spoke to his encounter with the nine-time major-winning legend from South Africa Gary Player at this year’s championship, an icon himself who won his final major in 1978, one year before Ballesteros won his first. They were like ships in the night with their careers but Player was full of emotion when talking about Ballesteros who died in 2011.
“When I go to some tournaments, I get to see them,” Javier said when asked if he crosses paths with the legends of his father’s generation.
“They are always super nice with me. We met Gary Player at Prestwick, and he was emotional talking about (Seve), actually, he was in tears talking about my dad – pretty emotional to see someone like Gary being emotional about my dad. We had a five- or 10-minute chat with him and he was fantastic.”
What do you make of these comments from Seve Ballesteros’ son? Do golfers lack charisma in 2024? Tell us on X!
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