British Open organisers in Ballesteros tribute

SANDWICH, England, (Reuters) – Players are being  invited to write messages in a Seve Ballesteros book of  remembrance at this week’s British Open, the Royal & Ancient  (R&A) organisers said yesterday.

“This is the first Open championship since Seve’s death and  we have taken the opportunity to mark his passing in a number of  ways,” chief executive Peter Dawson told reporters on the eve of  the third major of the year.

“The thrust of the messages from the players is what a  wonderful inspiration Seve has been to golfers the world over  and particularly in Europe.

“Many of them actually said Seve was their own inspiration  for playing golf. He was the guy they all watched when they were  kids and they said he was going to be greatly missed.” Ballesteros, who won the Open in 1979, 1984 and 1988 and the  U.S. Masters in 1980 and 1983, died in May at the age of 54  after a two-year battle with brain cancer.