New Seve Ballesteros film finally does golf's 007 justice

James Bond may be all the talk in the movie world at the moment, but the film-makers have also produced something special about golf’s 007.

Commissioned by the R&A, ‘SEVE Artist Fighter Legend’ was directed by Joss Holmes and David White.

Like Bond, Seve Ballesteros was dashing, daring and deadly - and SEVE Artist Fighter Legend - which was directed by Joss Holmes and David White - ticks all three boxes.

The first great thing about this film is that it was commissioned by the R&A to commemorate the swashbuckling Spaniard’s contribution to the game.

Helped by audio interviews with Ballesteros that had never been heard before, it charts his rise from humble beginnings in Pedreña in northern Spain to golfing greatness.

All his magical moments, including a special St Andrews success in The Open in 1984, have been captured brilliantly, both visually and descriptively.

The same goes for his memorable Ryder Cup career and what a fantastic contribution in that respect from Paul Azinger.

There were times when the pair almost looked as though they could come to blows representing their respective teams, but Azinger shows his class by saluting Seve for what he achieved for Europe.

As does Tom Lehman, who still can’t believe how Ballesteros managed to stay in their opening singles match at Oak Hill in 1995 as long as he did at a time when he was hitting it all over the place.

Get the tissues ready for Seve’s emotional reaction to Bernard Gallacher’s team winning that one and you might also be surprised that Nick Faldo isn’t scared to show his feelings in sharing his memories from it.

It wasn’t all sweetness and light for Seve, of course. From a very early stage in his career, he suffered chronic back trouble while he also suffered from depression.

To try and counter the latter, his manager, who, incidentally, reveals he was taking a 25 per cent cut, set up a phone chat between Ballesteros and the great Muhammad Ali.

Wife Carmen shares some great memories, as do his three children - Javier, who has followed in his footsteps and is playing in this week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, Carmen and Miguel.

Efforts have been made in the past to try and do justice on the big screen but failed. Not this time, though.

A message from the Editor:

Get a year of unlimited access to all of The Scotsman's sport coverage without the need for a full subscription. Expert analysis, exclusive interviews, live blogs, and 70 per cent fewer ads on Scotsman.com - all for less than £1 a week. Subscribe to us today https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions