Golfing legend Severiano Ballesteros (AFP)
Spanish golf legend Seve Ballesteros has undergone an operation to remove a brain tumour, and is now in stable condition, a Madrid hospital said Wednesday.
"The patient Severiano Ballesteros yesterday underwent a surgical operation performed by the medical team of the Neurosurgery Service of the La Paz Hospital," it said in a statement.
"The operation, aimed at removing a brain tumour, began at 9:00am and ended without complications.
"The patient will spend a post-operative period in the intensive care unit. He is currently conscious and in stable condition, although he cannot receive visits in the coming days until he recovers from the surgery."
The hospital said the next medical procedure would be undertaken when he is able to leave the intensive care unit, probably next week.
Ballesteros was taken to the hospital on October 6 after he collapsed and briefly lost consciousness at Madrid airport.
He announced on Sunday he had been diagnosed with a brain tumour and would undergo a biopsy before doctors decide on a course of treatment.
"During my career I was one of the best at getting around obstacles on golf courses. Now I want to be the best at confronting the most difficult match of my life with all my strength, and counting on all of you who are sending encouraging messages," he said in the statement on Sunday.
He said he had waited to make his brain tumour diagnosis public until he had first personally informed his three teenaged children, including two who were out of the country, and his ex-wife.
His family flew to Madrid last weekend to be by his side, Spanish media reported.
Last year doctors discovered he was suffering from an irregular hearbeat, a condition which his manager said at the time was not serious.
Ballesteros won the British Open in 1979, 1984 and 1988 and became the first European to win the Augusta Masters in 1980, a title he repeated in 1983.
He was an influential figure in the Ryder Cup, winning 20 points from 37 matches and captaining Europe to victory at Valderrama in 1997.
He collected 87 titles before knee and back problems forced him to retire last year.
Known for his flamboyant and imaginative style of play, he won one of his three British Open titles by playing a shot from a temporary parking lot.
© 2008 AFP/sid
