Nick Faldo
"He was a leader, bringing the spotlight to the European Tour, paving the way to European success at the Masters and bringing his relentless passion to the Ryder Cup.  I would call him, Cirque du Soleil. For golf, he was the greatest show on earth. I was a fan and so fortunate I had front-row seat."

Jack Nicklaus
"He was a great entertainer. No matter the golf that particular day, you always knew you were going to be entertained. Seve’s enthusiasm was just unmatched by anybody I think that ever played the game. Seve was able to create shots, invent shots, and play shots from anywhere. I have watched him play 1-irons out of greenside bunkers, when just fooling around. He could get up-and-down out of a garbage can. He could do anything with a golf club and a golf ball."

Gary Player
"I loved him like a son and will remember his charisma and flair. RIP, my friend."

Paul Azinger
"I'm saddened by the news of Seve's passing. We had tough Ryder Cup matches, a few run-ins as well. We talked through our differences and remained friends. When I got sick [with cancer] in 1993, Seve was one of the first to call."

Tiger Woods
"I was deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Seve Ballesteros. I always enjoyed spending time with him at the Champions dinner each year at the Masters. Seve was one of the most talented and exciting golfers to ever play the game. His creativity and inventiveness on the golf course may never be surpassed. His death came much too soon."

Lee Westwood
"It's a sad day. Lost an inspiration, genius, role model, hero and friend. Seve made European golf what it is today."

Nick Price
“What he did for European golf was what Tiger Woods did for worldwide golf. The European Tour would not be where it is now if it were not for Seve. His allegiance to the European Tour was admirable. I mean the guy was an icon; just an incredible golfer. I’ve always said most of us could shoot 65 in about 30 or 40 ways. He could do it about 10,000 different ways. He could miss every fairway, chip in five times, hole two bunker shots ... what a sad day today."

Mark O'Meara
"To lose his life at such an early age is sad. At the Masters dinner this year Jose Maria got up and talked and gave an incredible talk about reminiscing about Seve and talked about growing up and idolizing Seve. It was very heartwarming. His desire to win; his fight and the ability to create and play shots was reminiscent of Palmer and Watson.  He had a flair for the game that was quite amazing and that will always be remembered.”

John Cook
"To be around him and play with him the few times I did I just wish he had played in the United States a few more times. The people in the U.S. never really got to see Seve as the real magician and creative person he was on the golf course. He played the game like nobody else and sometimes from places nobody else did, but he didn’t care. He was one of the first players to show that you didn’t have to hit it on the button every time to score if you had imagination, touch and an eye and feel for the game you could score. You can’t teach that. You have to have that ingrained. With the way equipment is now, shots like his would be going straighter and would be easier to do. There won’t be another Seve Ballesteros."

Hale Irwin
"There were very few players who you could simply call by a name like Arnie, Jack or Lee and know who exactly it was. He was one of those guys. He was a name all around the world. His skills were maybe unmatched by anybody. His short game skills around the green were unbelievable. I marveled at that. I saw him hit a bunker shot one time from a buried lie and he sounded like he hit it thin and it comes out with spin on it and it stopped on a dime. I asked him how he did it and he wouldn’t tell me."

Mark Calcavecchia
“I don't think I ever beat the guy. He was unbelievable really. You know, kind of what I would call the modern day Phil Mickelson, or he was Phil back then.  He was just the best imagination, the best short game, you never really knew where he was going to hit it."

Mark McNulty
"I have so many memories of Seve but the one that stands out happened in Switzerland. One of the greatest shots I ever saw was when he played a shot at the 18th hole at Crans su Serr in the Swiss Open to eventually win. He was behind a wall and hit something like a 4-iron or a 2-iron from an 8-iron distance from the hole and he cut it around the wall. People who can remember the shot know exactly the type of shot he hit there. He was the original get-out-of-jail artist.”

Ian Poulter
"The last time we spoke to Seve was on the eve of the 2010 Ryder Cup. I will remember his words for the rest of my life."

Paul Casey
"He was a genius, an artist, he was my golfing hero. May he rest in peace."

Graeme McDowell
"Seve is in all our thoughts and prayers. One of European golf's shining lights and most charismatic stars is gone but not forgotten. Legend."

Luke Donald
"My earliest memories if golf: throwing 10 balls around the green in the most difficult lies and trying to get them up and down, pretending to be Seve. I just wanted to be him. You will not be forgotten."

Francesco Molinari
"What a terrible news to hear first thing in the morning. Seve was a superhero for all young golfers, played shots only he could see."

Network analyst Peter Kostis
"God bless Seve. A creative genius who played with the flair of a matador. I feel privileged to have known and worked with him. You'll be missed."

PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem
"His influence on the Ryder Cup was transformational, as his exceptional abilities as a player helped lead to the inclusion of continental European players, which up until 1979 had been excluded from the team. Some of the greatest moments in Ryder Cup history featured Seve, either as a player on one of the eight teams he played on or as captain of the victorious 1997 team in his home country of Spain. Seve Ballesteros’ impact on golf will be felt long into the future."

European Tour commissioner George O'Grady
"This is such a very sad day for all who love golf. Seve's unique legacy must be the inspiration he has given to so many to watch, support, and play golf, and finally to fight a cruel illness with equal flair, passion, and fierce determination. We have all been so blessed to live in his era. He was the inspiration behind The European Tour."

Jose Maria Olazabal
"What impressed most in Seve was his strength, his fighting spirit and the passion he put into everything he did. I saw him for the last time the Saturday after the Masters. He was not well, but his head was clear. The best tribute we can pay to Seve is to go on playing for him, although no tribute will ever do justice to everything he did for golf and to everything he gave us."

Ernie Els
“Seve was an absolute hero of mine and I modelled so much of my game on him. I was very fortunate to have had  the opportunity to play with him many times ... I feel honored that I was able to share center stage with him. Seve was a very proud man in golf and in life in general.   He never backed down from a challenge. The world of golf has lost one of its greatest heroes."

Colin Montgomerie
“There are very few legends in the world, Seve is one of them. I never saw such a talent to swing a golf club, and we may never see it again. We have lost one of the great icons of the game, it is a great loss for Spain, for Europe and for the world. This is a very sad day for the world of golf, but it is also a day of celebration, it is a day to celebrate his life."

Caddie Billy Foster
"There's not many players I've worked for in my time that have that aura about them. It was a special time - I was probably 25 years old, I'd caddied for maybe 10 years, and I got the ultimate dream chance of working for an absolute superstar."