Spain - Golf legend Seve Ballesteros, 54, passed away at his home in Pedreña

Seve Ballesteros, the charismatic Spanish golfer who won the Masters twice and the British Open three times and helped propel Europe’s rise in the Ryder Cup competition with the United States, passed away early Saturday morning at his home in Pedreña northern Spain, where his struggle with brain cancer had gained wide attention in the sports world. He was 54.

In March this year the Buenavista Golf course in Tenerife, the Canary Islands, designed by Seve Ballesteros, was recognized by the German edition of the prestigious magazine "Golf Journal" - as voted by readers of this publication - as the second best golf course in Europe, .

Tenerife has become increasingly popular as a European golf destination among German tourists who now outnumber British players who, until now, have traditionally been the most numerous. Last year Tenerife welcomed many golfers from all over the world including 54,000 German golfers, an increase of 11.5% over 2009, compared to 50,000 from the UK.

Seve Ballesteros was not only a great sportsman, but also a great EU "golf ambassador", who created respect and recognition for European Golf on courses all over the world.

EU-Digest