Anyone concerned that their tear ducts might not be in working order should take a look at the 2009 Sports Personality of the Year show, when Severiano Ballesteros was given a lifetime achievement award. The gong is presented to Seve at his home in Spain by his friend (and the other half of surely the greatest ever Ryder Cup pairing) José Maria Olazábal. After a while, Olazabal cracks up in tears and can’t go on. So Seve — poor, dying, cancer-ridden Seve — consoles him, squeezing his knee and with a smile, saying, ‘You’re doing OK. You’re still swinging the club well too…’ What a man.
If you’re old enough to remember when Slazenger was cool, chances are you have a favourite Seve memory. For some it’s the punch of the air so famous he had it tattooed on his arm. For others it’s his body stretched like a bow as he whacked the ball into the wide blue yonder.
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