Ballesteros determined to confound sceptics

AN EAGERLY-AWAITED comeback is under way. Seve Ballesteros was on the training bike at his home in Santander yesterday morning, attempting to shift some unwanted pounds acquired during the festive season. From a golfing standpoint, however, he will be sticking rigidly to the five-month break he promised himself after the Ryder Cup.

Ballesteros hasn't played competitive golf since an heroic if ill-fated singles clash with Tom Lehman on Sunday, September 24th, the final day at Oak Hill. Dreadfully at odds with his game, he sustained a 4 and 3 defeat which would have been very much heavier, but for some remarkable scrambling.

"He was totally burnt out at that stage," said his manager, Roddy Carr, yesterday. "His critics conveniently forget that he has been out there on the tour for 20 years and at the top of the rankings for much of that period."

Either way, he now seems to be reinvigorated and ready to work his way back to competitive fitness, with a view to returning to action, probably in the Catalan Open which starts on February 29th, when Philip Walton will be defending the title. By that stage, Carr, who took over from Joe Collet as Ballesteros's manager. on July 1st of last year, hopes to have renegotiated most of the player's major contracts.

The Boss clothing contract has already been renewed, but the remainder have yet to be sorted out. Ballesteros's most lucrative contracts are those with Dunlop/Slazenger and the Rolex watch company. He also markets his own, "SB" range of clothing in Japan, and another of his products, the Sabona copper bracelet, is a huge seller.

The continued success of these ventures, however, are clearly dependent on his golfing well-being. A determination to start afresh is reflected in a total break from the game since the Ryder Cup. The only exception was for some photographic sessions in connection with a new book on how to play trouble shots - a subject on which he is an undisputed master.

"Before Christmas, Seve and I went on a five-day trip to the Philippines and Japan where he signed contracts for the design of two new courses," added Carr. "He remarked to me that it was the first time in 20 years that he had made such a trip without his clubs."

Meanwhile, it is particularly interesting that he has no plans to seek help from one of the game's gurus. It will be recalled that his build-up to the 1994 season was dominated by long sessions with the eccentric American professional, Mac O'Grady. Not only has O'Grady been removed from the player's plans, but there has also been a parting with caddie Terry Okura, one of the American's leading disciples.

According to Carr, the Ballesteros target for this year is to be number one in Europe. That is not as ambitious as it might appear when one considers that the Spaniard's official earnings in Europe from the 12-month period from May 1994 to May 1995 amounted to £707,988, a figure surpassed only by Colin Montgomerie (£809,346), who went on to secure the Order of Merit for a third successive year.

Ballesteros played 11 Order of Merit tournaments in Europe last year; he missed three cuts and had only two, top-10 finishes, albeit as winner of the Spanish Open and joint runner-up in the Canaries. And there was the bonus of a three-stroke victory in the Paris Perrier Pairs tournament on April 30th, in partnership with his soul-mate, Jose-Maria Olazabal.

Given Carr's position as the player's manager, one would expect him to take an upbeat view of Ballesteros's future. But he went so far as to predict: "Seve will win another major within the next two years." Most observers will be hoping he's right.

Meanwhile, Nick Faldo was as good as his word when battling last weekend to a share of second place behind Mark O'Meara in. the Mercedes Championship, the opening tournament of the US season. Particularly gratifying for the 38-year-old Englishman was that he broke par on each of the four days at La Quinta.

"I have come to America this year full of aggression," he said. "It's the only way to win over here and I intend to aim directly for the pin, every chance I get."

He added: "The majors remain my prime targets, but I realise the years are slipping by, so I have to make the best of my opportunities.

A crucial aspect of his encouraging form was his putting, which was less than kind to him last season. "I worked hard on my putting for four days in Florida at the start of the month and it seems to be paying off," he said.

The tournament offered further evidence of O'Meara's acknowledged status as one of America's most formidable, early-season competitors. Of his eight previous US Tour victories, five were achieved during the opening months of the season - the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 1985, 1989, 1990 and 1992 and the Hawaiian Open in 1955.

It also gave him a splendid start to the new Ryder Cup campaign in which he now has 75 points as winner of the opening tournament. O'Meara made the last of three Ryder Cup appearances at Kiawah Island in 1991, when his matches included a half in the opening fourballs for his partnership with Lanny Wadkins against Sam Torrance and David Feherty.