Both my first and my brightest memory of golf are lit up by the same player - Seve.
That first memory is from 1984: I am sat on the floor at my granddad's house and we are watching the conclusion of the Open Championship together on his small television set.
My granddad sighed when Tom Watson, his favourite golfer, made bogey on the 17th hole. Then, moments later, I became transfixed by the Spaniard with the charismatic smile and thick mop of black hair, who repeatedly thrust his arm skyward like a revolutionary leader to celebrate his winning birdie putt on the 18th green.
Nine years on I was attending my first major golfing event - the 1993 Ryder Cup at The Belfry. Seve was a golfer in decline, but he continued to perform miracles whenever he represented Europe.
Paired with his great friend Jose Maria Olazabal, Seve holed out on the 11th green to win the hole and then characteristically marched straight from the green with his arm held high. I had positioned myself next to the roped walkway to the next tee and watched as he moved towards me, accepting the cheers of the crowd.
As he came close I spoke up. "Muy bien, Seve," I said, adding a fist-punch that was no match for the one I'd watched nine years previously.
What happened next is my brightest golfing memory.
Seve's dark eyes looked straight into my own, he smiled, acknowledged me with one sharp nod of his head and then said, in that familiar halting English, "Thank you very much."
I swooned.
It wasn't just those few words and the glance in my direction. It was because I had never before felt such electricity from another human being. It was utterly amazing.
Since then I have talked to people who knew Seve well and they smile when I tell them what happened. Why? Because they witnessed the same reaction on men and women all over the world.
But for that one millisecond, as thousands around me cheered and roared, Seve was looking at me and only me. He made me feel part of his quest. I obviously wasn't, but that's how he made me feel.
An amazing man and my favourite golfing memory.
Matt Cooper
Matt is a golf writer and the editor of the Curious About Golf website
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Memory added on March 27, 2013
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