The Loop

Seve: Don't feel sorry for me

October 10, 2009

It's probably not prudent to read too much into the interview that Seve Ballesteros gave to Peter Allis other than to say that it was candid and poignant. Ballesterois is still undergoing radiation treatments for a brain tumor that surfaced a year ago.

Peter Higgs, golf correspondent for the Mail on Sunday, said that Ballesteros' comments were "brave and heartwarming" and called the interview "remarkable." It's scheduled to air on the BBC next week.

"This thing that happened to me is a very little thing compared to other people who have tougher times," Ballesteros said. "They didn't have the opportunity to live life so intensely and as well as I did. I've had a very good life. I'm sure that some people will feel sorry for me or maybe cry when they see this program. But I feel very happy and am a very lucky person because throughout my life I have had so many great moments and I feel that I live two or three more lives than the average person."

Ballesteros, 52, is hitting full golf shots on the range, but he has lost 75 percent of the vision in his left eye, the result of surgeries, Higgs' story notes, which is causing him issues with his short game. Nonetheless, he still talks of playing the British Open at St. Andrews in 2010.

In the interview, Ballesteros also reflects on the end of his marriage and the loneliness he has experienced as a result.

-- John Strege