Why Seve Ballesteros was presented with the green jacket for winning the 1983 Masters before the event had even finished

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Seve Ballesteros had already written his name into Masters folklore by becoming the first European to win at Augusta National a few years earlier by the time the final round of the 1983 event arrived.

The 1983 Masters proved to be significant for a host of reasons. Sam Snead said a final goodbye to the major championship stage as he withdrew after the first round.

Meanwhile, Arnold Palmer would never make the cut at Augusta National again after 1983.

It would also prove to be the most recent occasion in which The Masters has finished on a Monday.

The story of Seve Ballesteros’ second Masters triumph in 1983

Heavy rain ensured that not a single shot was hit on Friday. With that, it would be Sunday morning before every single player had completed their second round.

By that stage, Seve Ballesteros found himself in second place on six under par. He was one shot behind Gil Morgan.

Interestingly, while Morgan dropped back on Sunday – his best finish at The Masters would not come for another year – Ballesteros remained one shot back of the leaders with 18 holes to play. It was Raymond Floyd and Craig Stadler who topped the leaderboard.

All three men had won the green jacket within the previous seven years.

But it would be Ballesteros who found another gear on Monday. The Spaniard was four under par for his first four holes – including making an eagle on the second – to take charge.

By the turn, Ballesteros had reached 10 under par. In the end, he was able to bogey both 10 and 12 and still win by four. Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite would finish tied for second. Ballesteros would confirm his victory with a chip in for par at the last.

And Crenshaw was full of praise for Ballesteros’ performance.

“He’s a natural,” he said, as reported by Bunkered. “He’s the most imaginative player in golf. He knows how to invent shots because he grew up that way. He’s never in trouble. We see him in the trees quite a lot, but that looks normal to him.”

Why Seve Ballesteros received his green jacket before the 1983 Masters had concluded

Of course, one of the many traditions at Augusta National is for the defending champion to usually present the latest winner with their green jacket.

Obviously, there are some occasions when that is not possible, including in 2002 when Tiger Woods retained his crown. It was Augusta National chairman Hootie Johnson who placed the iconic jacket on Woods’ shoulders.

In Ballesteros’ case 19 years earlier, it was Hord Hardin – who served as chairman between 1980 and 1991 – who presented him with the garment.

It should have been Stadler who did the honours. However, due to the Monday finish, the event was dealing with time constraints concerning the television broadcast.

Stadler was actually still out on the course finishing his final round when the ceremony was taking place, with Ballesteros too far ahead to be caught by the final group.

Ballesteros would actually miss the cut the following year. But he was on hand to present Crenshaw with the green jacket following the first of his two Masters victories.