Adios amigo! Golfing greats line up to pay emotional farewell to Seve Ballesteros
* Son carries urn to church in native fishing village
* Service broadcast live on Spanish TV
Legend of European golf Seve Ballesteros was given a funeral to match the man today as some of the sport's greatest exponents joined local residents in his native fishing village in northern Spain.
Ryder Cup captains Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie, Sam Torrance, Bernard Gallacher, Ian Woosnam and Jose Maria Olazabal marched together in silence from his family home to the church of San Pedro de Pedrena.
The sound of a bagpipe filling the air to see off Ballesteros, the five-time major winner who died on Saturday at age 54 from complications of a cancerous brain tumour.
Line-up of legends: Nick Faldo, Roger Chapman, Colin Montgomerie, Sam Torrance, Ian Woosnam and European Tour chief executive George O'Grady walk behind the urn containing Seve Ballesteros's ashes today
A son's burden: Javier Ballesteros carries the ashes of his father besides sister Carmen during the funeral service for Seve Ballesteros in Pedrena, Spain
Ballesteros' oldest son, Javier, carried the urn holding the Spanish golf great's ashes at the front of the procession.
The procession also included several young boys and girls wearing a replica of the navy blue outfit that Ballesteros wore for his first British Open win in 1979. They each held a 3-iron, the first club he used as a child.
Members of a local men's rowing team marched with their oars.
The large crowd outside the church burst into applause as Ballesteros' ashes reached the tiny church, which was filled to its 400-person capacity.
Awesome: Local rowers held aloft their oars during the procession to the funeral which was shown live on Spanish TV this afternoon
Spanish greats: Miguel Angel Jimenez and Jose Maria Olazabal pay their respects in northern Spain
Locals, friends and others watched from one of the three giant screens set up outside.
Ballesteros' ashes were to be laid to rest under a magnolia tree in the family garden after the service.
The golf great had a record 50 European Tour victories and successes as both a Ryder Cup player and captain.
'In golf we never had anyone like him,' Spain's five-time Tour de France champion Miguel Indurain said. 'He was an innovator.'
Indurain was among a number of Spanish personalities attending, which included former Real Madrid player Emilio Butragueno and bullfighter Enrique Ponce.
Homages to Ballesteros were found all along the procession routes, mostly in the form of Spanish flags with black ribbons tied to them. Photos and messages of support were also on show in the town of nearly 1,500,
'His roots were here in Pedrena, he never forgot that,' said Asuncion Sota, a cousin of Ballesteros'. 'Seve may have passed but his soul lives on here forever.'
A photograph of Ballesteros at St Andrews on that famous day in 1979, fist-pumping in sheer jubilation after his closing birdie putt, was placed alongside the urn for the service.
Ballesteros' final wish was for the funeral to take place in a familiar setting, open to everyone, in his home village and he said he wanted to be treated 'like any other neighbour' during the ceremony.
Spanish state TV broadcast the event live from the village - population 1,500 - where many homes paraded Spanish flags with black ribbons attached.
Every golf club in Spain had a minute's silence and at the Iberdrola Open in Majorca, to where Montgomerie and Olazabal were travelling after the funeral, black ribbons were placed on every flag.
A minute's silence had also been held at the Spanish Open on Saturday and then 24 hours later on the American PGA, Champions and Nationwide tours.
Huge interest: People look at a giant screen outside Saint Pedro Church during the funeral service for Seve Ballesteros, who died of brain tumour complications on Saturday
Personal tribute: Candles and a red flower are seen beside his famous white golf shoes during the funeral service of five-time major winner and Ryder Cup stalwart Seve Ballesteros
Worn with pride: Racing Santander players sport T-shirts bearing the image of Seve Ballesteros before last night's match with Atletico Madrid
World in mourning: Members of staff at the Belfry Golf Club, in England, hold a minute's silence on the famous tenth hole, where Ballesterosdrove the green during the Hennessy Cup in September 1978
SEVE THE LEGEND... AND THE LOGO
Colin Montgomerie and Sir Nick Faldo have added their names to the campaign to have the image of the late Seve Ballesteros on the logo of the European Tour.
The logo is currently a silhouette of Harry Vardon - Open champion a record six times between 1896 and 1914 - but the two Ryder Cup captains gave their views after attending today's funeral in Spain.
'I think you will find it does change and let's hope it is sooner rather than later,' said Montgomerie. 'I would vote for that immediately.
'When you talk about the European Tour you talk about Seve and I think it's only right he should appear on our logo.'
Montgomerie described the funeral service as 'very sad and moving, but after this mournful day we have to start to celebrate his life'.
Faldo added: 'There will never be another Seve. He had everything - the good looks, the charisma, the smile, the walk and the swash-buckling golf game.
'We shared lots of battles and it's tragic. We would have been mates and we've lost out on that. We always had mutual respect, but we never realised the level of feelings that we had for each other.'
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