On Masters Sunday, the name of Seve Ballesteros seemed to be on the tip of everyone’s tongue: It was the 40th anniversary of his second Masters win, it was Easter Sunday just like the first time he won in 1980, and, most poignant of all, it was his birthday. When Jon Rahm, a Spanish player, won the green jacket, it seemed to vindicate this numerology, and Rahm contributed to the almost religious atmosphere by dedicating his victory to Ballesteros, and declaring that he was “up there helping.” At the conclusion of his public speech, he said “rest in peace, Seve,” made the sign of the cross, and looked skyward.

It’s hard for me to put my emotions into words, but I want to thank everyone for supporting me. This one was for Seve. Having my family there made it even better. A dream come true! @TheMasters pic.twitter.com/LZ0JX41CIv

— Jon Rahm Rodriguez (@JonRahmpga) April 12, 2023

It was all reminiscent of the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah, when the European team, captained by Jose Maria Olazabal, overcame a massive deficit to win on the final day. That happened just over a year after the death of Ballesteros, and just like at this year’s Masters, his name was everywhere on that Sunday—including, quite literally, in the sky, where a hired plane wrote his name out for everyone to see. This concept that he might have had a posthumous influence on results is no glib tribute; it’s a fervent belief held by those who look up to him as a saint of the Spanish and European game. His stature is almost too enormous to quantify; as Ian Poulter once said, “Americans had Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, and before that Ben Hogan and Bobby Jones and others. For us Europeans, Seve is all of those people rolled into one.”

But Seve Ballesteros was no saint in life. He was, instead, someone who made enemies easily, particularly among his Ryder Cup opponents; who held grudges in an almost Jordan-esque fashion; who contributed to his own myth, in truth and in fiction; whose paranoia was so great, he slept with a .38 handgun under his pillow. Today, 12 years after his untimely death due to a brain tumour at age 54, it can be difficult to untangle the Ballesteros of reality with the mythic figure who continues to loom above European golf. The magic he possessed was no exaggeration, and it deservedly lives on, but nor is it the entire story. In today’s episode of Local Knowledge, we look at the legend of Seve Ballesteros, and the very real, very complex man from which that legend grew.

You can listen to the episode at the link below.

The post Seve Ballesteros: The myth and the reality appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Keely Levins
To celebrate the completion of two seasons of Local Knowledge, we’re releasing a special four-part series where we revisit some of our favourite episodes. The second instalment is all about money. How do you afford pro golf when you’re just starting out? Who’s making a ton of money? Who’s making too little?

We first look at the PGA Tour, and the big purses and huge endorsement deals modern players earn. From Arnie to Tiger, we explore how the tour evolved into its current lucrative state.

From there, we look at the LPGA Tour (9:44 mark), where players’ financial situations are more precarious. While top players can make a good living, as you move down the money list, things get less comfortable. We talk to LPGA Tour players and other in the industry about the financial realities of being a female Tour player.

We next look at how expensive Tour life is, and how up-and-comers afford it (19:53 mark). One means of doing so, which the episode is based on, is players finding a single benefactor to fund them—known jokingly as “a Sugar Daddy.” Often done over a handshake instead of a formal contract, these deals can get complicated.

While the first three episodes centre around individual finances, some players have the ability to change an entire country’s golf economy. When Hideki Matsuyama won the Masters, the prediction was that golf in Japan had been changed forever (29:23).

Take a listen to this special episode of Local Knowledge here:

The post Our latest podcast explores the intersection of golf and money, from who’s making a ton to who’s not making enough appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Alex Myers
In the first of a four-part series revisiting the inaugural two seasons of Local Knowledge, we look at some of the unique characters highlighted in our episodes.

From trailblazers to folk heroes to singular personalities, these figures have made for some of our favourite subjects. Whether they racked up major championships or controversial headlines—and in some cases, both—all of them were compelling stories.

We start with Babe Didrikson Zaharias, arguably the most dominant athlete—not just golfer—the world has ever seen. Then we move to Jan Stephenson (At the 5:50 mark in the episode), who followed in the Babe’s footsteps on the LPGA Tour, but took a much different path.

Parts of our Moe Norman episode follow (10:15) before stories about Lee Trevino, Ben Hogan and Phil Mickelson from Golf Digest’s Guy Yocom (14:20). And we finish with current three-time defending world long drive champ Kyle Berkshire (19:50), who is leading a power charge that could be coming to the PGA Tour soon. Please have a listen:

The post Our latest podcast examines some of golf’s most compelling characters appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.