Lights Out

Masters No. 2 for Ballesteros

In Craig Stadler (1982 Masters), Ray Floyd (1982 P.G.A.) and Tom Watson (1982 U.S. and British Opens), Severiano Ballesteros had the defenders of all the major golf championships to contend with last week in the final round of the 1983 Masters. "They are one of the best three," agreed the adventurous Spaniard, 26, who showed he is one of the best himself, easily winning his second Masters championship in four years. That is, if the following can be termed easy:

At the first hole, Ballesteros struck a 7-iron within 8 ft. and made the putt for a birdie; at the second, a 4-wood within 15 ft., an eagle; at the fourth, a 2-iron that scarcely missed being a hole in one. Starting one shot behind Stadler and Floyd, he now led the tournament by three. Watson's game plan to recoup two strokes against the leaders had been to shoot 34 on the front nine, which is exactly what he did, only to fall four behind Ballesteros.

Then, when the eminent Americans forcibly pressed Augusta National for birdies, the rolling course fitfully responded with bogeys. Unwittingly, Texans Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite overtook them all to finish second, four shots behind Ballesteros. "Play the course," the winner had counseled himself, "and be cool." Asked how his second Masters victory compared with the first, Ballesteros said, "I tell you, they are both very sweet. But the first is always the best, like when you marry the first time." He is a bachelor.

The fourth son of "a farmer, a rower, a very strong man," Ballesteros learned golf from the swing of his brother Manuel, 34, and practiced "on the beach from the age of nine, on the golf course since 15" in Santander, Spain. At 16, Seve turned professional, a handsome boy with a wild talent. His early dedication extended to playing late after dark, an advantage at Augusta this year when a day and a half of rain kept the golfers out past dusk on Saturday, trying to complete the second round in hopes of cramming the last 36 holes into a marathon Sunday. To Arnold Palmer's relief, they did not quite make it, and the tournament was prolonged a day.

Palmer, 53, winner of four Masters titles, shot a four-under-par 68 in a nostalgic first round, making his incorrigible followers wonder if he could win again. "Damn right," Palmer said, but then he shot 74, 76 and 78. Jack Nicklaus, 43, who has won five Masters, was asked who he thought would win. "When I'm not here any more," Nicklaus answered softly, "I'll pick somebody else." Following a first-round 73, Nicklaus had to withdraw with a creaky back. Ballesteros has a bad back too, but at the mention of it after his closing 69, he said, "My back is very good. Is yours all right?"

There was a touch of laughter, and a twinge of hurt, in almost everything Ballesteros said afterward. "You have to play good here--I mean lucky. I never play good," he said, smiling. "I just want to be a very lucky player for many years." Considering that he has also won a British Open (1979) and 29 professional tournaments internationally, Ballesteros feels unappreciated and unloved. Partial to the European custom of paying celebrated pros "appearance money," win or lose, he is regarded by the British press as a bit of a profiteer and by the Americans as something of a carpetbagger. "One year I will come over here full time," Ballesteros pledged, again with that smile, "to see how good I am."

According to Runner-Up Crenshaw, "He has shots that nobody else has ever thought of," and almost as much call for them as Palmer. Watson said, "He's like Arnold Palmer in that he makes as many mistakes as good shots in normal circumstances. When he's on, he shoots lights out." Maybe all of them should start practicing in the dark. This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.