The golfing world has been rocked this week by the news that five-time major winner, Seve Ballesteros, has been diagnosed with a brain tumour. Ballesteros was admitted to hospital after collapsing at the airport in Madrid.

Several golfing legends have been quick to offer their support and words of sympathy to the 51 year-old. After visiting Ballesteros in hospital, fellow Spaniard, Jose Maria Olazabal, was the bearer of some positive news: “I thought Seve seemed very well”. Olazabal revealed that Ballesteros was able to chat with him for a long time and ended by wishing him a “speedy recovery”.

These sentiments were echoed by Miguel Angel Jimenez, who spoke of his “love” for the golfing legend. Jimenez was also trying to keep positive, speaking of his desire for Ballesteros to “recover as soon as possible”.

The thoughts of Olazabal and Jimenez are undoubtedly representative of those of the golfing community as a whole. Few people have ever had a bad word to say about Ballesteros, a man who has changed the face of golf dramatically.

He turned professional at the age of 16 and, just two years later, finished second in the Open. He won an impressive total of 87 titles during his long career before retiring in 2007 after succumbing to back and knee problems caused by arthritis.

His title wins included the Open in 1979, 1984, and 1988 whilst victories in the Masters came in 1980 and 1983. Ballesteros lit up the golfing world in the 1980s and has directly influenced the careers of legends such as Nick Faldo, Sandy Lyle, Ian Woosnam, and Bernhard Langer.

However, most people will remember him for his impact upon the Ryder Cup. Maria Acacia, Spanish press officer for the European Tour, has spoken of her respect for Ballesteros: “I think Seve has not only made a huge contribution to golf in Spain, but also the whole of Europe”.

Acacia continued to state that the player’s “new kind of golf” changed the Ryder Cup and the current form of the competition “owes a lot” to him. He competed in eight Ryder Cup competitions between 1979 and 1995 and won 20 points from just 37 matches. One of his proudest moments came in 1997, when he led the European team to victory at Valderrama.

Sam Torrance, also a former European Ryder Cup captain, has spoken of his sadness at the “tragic news”. Torrance also echoed the thoughts of many by referring to Ballesteros as “one of the best-ever players” who enjoyed a “glorious career”.

Seve Ballesteros was so fond of the Ryder Cup competition that he decided to launch another competition in the style of the Ryder Cup. The Seve Trophy was established in 2000 and was immediately popular among golfers from the UK and Europe.

Ballesteros’ impact on the game is undeniable and the golfing world can only hope that he makes a full recovery. In the words of Tony Jacklin, Ballesteros is “unique. The impossible was an everyday thing for him”. Furthermore, whilst another player may “come along with enormous talent again”, there will always be just “one Seve”.

Written by Charlotte Cook

Team Europe has lost the Ryder Cup for the first time since 1999 in an exhilarating tournament at the Valhalla golf club, Kentucky. A resurgent United States team led after every session of play, proving that Paul Azinger’s eclectic team of rookies can survive without the injured Tiger Woods. The final result: 16½ - 11½.

Europe was 'expected' to win. The Times Online even went as far as publishing five different reasons why the USA was fated to bite the dust with the ‘pathetic’ Phil Mickelson key to their demise. On paper, Team Europe did indeed seem like the better side.

Nick Faldo’s Ryder Cup experience made him a logical choice for the captaincy, but his decision to leave his best and most experienced players until the bottom of the tournament was a fatal mistake. By the time the likes of Pádraig Harrington and Ian Poulter stepped onto the green the game was already lost.

Paul Azinger surprised everybody by selecting six rookies in his team, but his foresight ultimately paid off. On the final day, youngster Anthony Kim silenced critics by beating Sergio Garcia in the first match of the tournament, while fellow US debutant Boo Weekley hammered Oliver Wilson and finished 8-under-par after 16 holes.

World number two Phil Mickelson fell to Justin Rose in what was perhaps the biggest shock of the tournament. The Englishman was jubilant with his performance but disappointed that Team Europe failed to defeat the Americans overall: 'I may have won three points out of four on my debut, but this week is not about individuals, it is about the team.' He also claimed that the score didn't reflect the play, and that it was actually much closer than it seemed.

Unfortunately, the tournament was not without incident. Ian Poulter told reporters that rookie US golfer, Anthony Kim, ‘body-checked’ him on the 14th green. Kim was apologetic: 'I wasn't out there to bump anybody. That's not the spirit of the Ryder Cup. This isn't football. I'm sorry he took it personally.' Poulter performed well in his match against Steve Stricker but, despite scoring the most points overall, he was unable to tip the scales in Europe’s favour.

Lee Westwood lost to Ben Curtis on the final afternoon but explained that he had been distracted by the behaviour of the American crowd. He blamed US captain Paul Azinger for inciting the fans and ‘involving outside agency’ in his first match against Boo Weekley. Westwood, who hails from Worksop, claimed that he was the victim of early-morning prank phone calls and a string of abuse from the American crowd.

The 2008 Ryder Cup has drawn a great deal of praise from both sides of the Atlantic with many believing that America’s victory over Europe was necessary to keep the tournament alive. Nick Faldo has borne the brunt of the media’s distaste, but few can deny that the result has enlivened the competition once again. Ian Poulter and Justin Rose both played exceptional golf for their team and were rightly disappointed with the overall result.

Written by Chris Illingworth