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Ballesteros family plea for Ryder Cup to return to Spain

Seve Ballesteros was captain as Europe won the Ryder Cup for the first time on European soil, in 1997 © PA Photos

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The family of Seve Ballesteros have called upon the European Tour to award Spain the 2018 Ryder Cup as a final, fitting tribute to the five-time major champion.

The European Tour's Ryder Cup committee will meet at Wentworth on Tuesday to decide who will host the competition in seven years' time, with bids from France, Germany, Portugal and Holland to be judged against Madrid's proposal.

But Ballesteros' brother Baldomero - supported by Seve's sons, Javier and Miguel - urged the committee to go with their hearts and commemorate Seve one more time.

In doing so he invoked the legend of El Cid, the 11th century Spanish nobleman and military leader who inspired troops to an unlikely victory even after he had been killed.

"I wish that, like El Cid, Seve wins the last battle after his death," Baldomero said. "It would be the greatest tribute to him. I appeal to the sensitivity of the European Tour to agree the greatest honour that could be bestowed on Seve is to award the competition to Spain.

"It would have made my brother very happy for it was one of his dreams."

Spain have already hosted the Ryder Cup once, in 1997, as Ballesteros captained Europe to a memorable victory at Valderrama.

Meanwhile, fellow Spaniard Sergio Garcia believes he is starting to enjoy golf more, after going through a rocky period where he fell out of love with the game and consequently saw his form fall away.

"I think that it's important for me to realise those things, and you know, try to enjoy what I do, which is playing golf," Garcia, now ranked No. 74 in the world, said. "I've always done it, but unfortunately lately it hasn't been that way."

Garcia, who needs to move into the top 50 to qualify automatically for next month's Ryder Cup, opened with a 74 at the Players Championship on Thursday.

"Can I get all the way back to where I was before, No. 2 in the world?" he said. "Hopefully, but I need to play much better than I did today."

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