Memorial Tournament officials confirmed Thursday that tournament honoree Seve Ballesteros will not be attending ceremonies in his honor on the eve of the tournament June 2 at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio.
Ballesteros, who has been battling brain cancer since 2008 and two months ago was hospitalized after falling out of a golf cart and bumping his head, didn't think that he was up to making the trans-Atlantic flight from his home in Pedrena, Spain, tournament director Dan Sullivan said during a media function previewing the 35th edition of the Memorial that is hosted by 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus.
A live video feed has been set up for Ballesteros to accept his honor from home. Nicklaus will speak on behalf of Ballesteros, as will five-time British Open champion Tom Watson and Britain's Tony Jacklin, a former Memorial honoree who captained four European Ryder Cup teams from 1983-89 on which Ballesteros competed.
Ballesteros, at last report, still plans to attend the British Open at St. Andrews in July, and he hopes to participate in the Open Champions' Challenge. The four-hole exhibition for past Open champions is scheduled for July 14 on holes 1, 2, 17 and 18 at the Old Course.
-- Dave Shedloski
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