Seve Ballesteros

Over the course of a century and a half of The Open, one image stands out above all others.

It has now been 40 years since Seve Ballesteros lifted the Claret Jug for the second time, but the shot of his fist pump as he birdied the 18th at St Andrews is indelibly etched in the mind of every golf fan.

Ballesteros himself described his winning putt in 1984 as the greatest moment of his career. The sport’s greatest entertainer crowned Champion Golfer of the Year on The Old Course.

“This was the happiest moment of my whole sporting life,” Ballesteros wrote in his autobiography.

“My moment of glory, my most fantastic shot. So much so that picture of me gesturing in triumph is now the logo of my companies.”

In some ways, there is a level of irony that Ballesteros’s most famous shot is such a conventional putt. Exceptional given the pressure and circumstances but completely removed from the spectacular shots and audacious recoveries that became his trademark.

As two-time Masters winner Ben Crenshaw famously said: “Seve plays shots I don’t even see in my dreams.”

At St Andrews in 1984, it was a more measured Seve who won the day, denying Tom Watson a record-equalling sixth title.

Watson, who was seeking a third successive Open victory, was still on the course, but Ballesteros knew what he needed to do as he set out down the last.

He said: “I told my caddie, Nick de Paul, that we needed a birdie at the 18th to guarantee victory.”

His par on The Road Hole – the first time he had saved par on the 17th all week – gave Ballesteros the advantage in his battle with Watson, who then pushed his second shot right on his way to a bogey.

On 18, Ballesteros’ second shot left him about 12 feet from the hole. From right to left, he judged his putt to perfection, the ball just hesitating before dropping in.

“The putt had a clear borrow to the left, but as I struck the ball, I felt I had overdone it,” said Ballesteros.

“I hadn’t. It rolled sweetly towards the hole, then seemed to hover on the edge of the cup, before finally going in as if in slow motion, perhaps impelled by my powers of mental suggestion, so strong was my desire that it should drop in.”

The response from the crowd was electric. Ballesteros cried out ‘La metí’ (I put it in) before his legendary fist pump.

The sight of him celebrating was immortalised by photographer David Cannon.

“Seve was a photographer's dream and one of the very few who always guaranteed to give you a memorable photo,” Cannon told the BBC.

“When he follows through with his big punch, I was in the wrong position.

“But he milked the crowd and the celebration went on for such a long time that some other guys ran out of film by the time of the famous image.

“It's an amazing thrill to have taken that shot. I'm proud of that image.”

That image has now become synonymous with Seve. It is not only the logo of his foundation, he also got a tattoo of it on his left forearm.

At the Ryder Cup in 2012, the first following Ballesteros’ death at just 54 due to brain cancer, the European team paid tribute to the great man with that silhouette on their bags for the ‘Miracle at Medinah’.

Captained by his great friend and fellow Spaniard José María Olázabal, they also wore Ballesteros’ famous navy blue and white colours.

Even four decades on, Ballesteros’ heroics at St Andrews still resonate. Compatriot Jon Rahm was born a decade after Seve won his second Open, but when the two-time major winner was asked to name the most iconic moment at St Andrews ahead of The 150th Open, he did not hesitate.

He answered: “I don't want to go with the obvious, but '84 was very special for Spanish people. I'm going to go with that. That image of Seve celebrating, it's an iconic image not only for us but for the world of golf. So I would say '84.”

Paul Lawrie followed in Ballesteros’ footsteps 15 years after his St Andrews success, victorious at Carnoustie in dramatic circumstances in 1999.

And it was that shot and that celebration that inspired his own golfing journey.

“He was the reason I started to play golf,” Lawrie said.

“Who could ever forget '84, with the celebration that Seve did?

“Back then, I would have been 15 and I remember watching it at home when he won.

“The putt didn't look like it was going to drop, but he just sort of willed it in.

“Seve was the guy I wanted to watch - he was exciting and charismatic.”

Even Ballesteros’ contemporaries were inspired. Ken Brown, a fellow Ryder Cup player who has gone on to have an esteemed commentary career, had finished up his final round by the time Ballesteros reached the 18th.

Having finished joint-13th, he was on his way home and listened to the denouement on the radio.

“The commentary was fantastic and you got a sense of the crowd and the atmosphere,” he told the BBC.

“I knew how important it was to Seve to win The Open at St Andrews.

“But, when I saw it later, you saw how much it really did mean to him.

“I was a young player - the same age as Seve - and it gave all of us players a bit of confidence to think: 'maybe one day I can be good enough to do it'.”

Ballesteros ended up winning that Open by two shots, with Watson unable to produce the eagle that would have forced a play-off as he finished joint-second with Bernhard Langer.

Seve won a third Open four years later at Royal Lytham & St Annes and remains one of the sport’s most beloved figures.

Four decades on from his greatest moment, that fist pump remains the iconic shot in the history of golf’s original Championship.