In 1984 he fulfilled a dream when he won his second Open Championship at the Home of Golf, St Andrews. Four years later he repeated the feat after a titanic tussle with Nick Price.

That was to be the last time he lifted the famous old jug but certainly not the last time he thrilled the galleries.

His first Vardon Trophy as European number one came aged 19, too. Ballesteros went on to claim six Vardon Trophies in his own inimitable swashbuckling style, eventually chalking up no less than 87 worldwide titles and 50 on the European Tour.

The 1976 Dutch Open was his first; the 1995 Spanish Open, when his powers of recovery were beginning to wane and his perennial back problems beginning to bite, his last tour title.

Ballesteros fought his wayward swing and his back injuries stoically, but could not beat them both even though he could still show the subsequent eight-times European number one Colin Montgomerie a thing or two as late as 2002 when he was ailing badly, with a matchplay win in the eponymous Seve Trophy.

Plenty felt the wrath of Ballesteros and his battles with perceived 'enemies' are well documented. Only Ballesteros would dare accuse the European Tour of acting like the "mafia" during an Italian Open.

Caddies loved him but feared him. He had more caddies than the famous Lyons tea houses of London.

But even though he ran them ragged, bagmen like doyens Dave Musgrove and Pete Coleman will tell you that they would not have missed the experience for all the tea in China.

1

2