EurAsia Cup Sparks Clash Between European Tour And Ballesteros Family

The European Tour has been accused of "manipulating and misrepresenting" the intentions of the late Seve Ballesteros by "launching a rival match-play event to the Royal Trophy between Europe and Asia," according to the AFP. In the "latest twist in an increasingly bitter war of words," Vicente Ballesteros said that the "inauguration of the EurAsia Cup was not what his younger brother and five-time major champion, Seve, would have wanted." This week, European Tour CEO George O'Grady asserted that Seve "would have cherished" the EurAsia Cup and that the new event "carries with it the support of Seve's family and The Seve Ballesteros Foundation." However, Vicente Ballesteros and Royal Trophy promoter Entertainment Group Ltd. co-Managing Dir Ivan Ballesteros, who is Seve's nephew, "refuted O'Grady's comments." Vicente Ballesteros: "Seve was very emotionally attached to the Royal Trophy. I am certain Seve would have found this new proposal to be in bad taste and very disrespectful" (AFP, 12/30).