Ballesteros hides true colours

Press, 7 October 1988, Page 17

Ballesteros hides true colours

NZPA-Reuter Wentworth England When Seve Ballesteros bids for a record-equalling fifth World Matchplay golf championship this week, he will be hiding his true colours. The British Open champion arrived for the twenty-fifth annual edition of the event on Wednesday with a nasty bruise on one hip after a fall from his racing bike at home last week. “My hip is very' colourful, all black, blue and yellow,” he said. At first, he thought it was

worse. "I was going uphill last Friday and changed gear. Two seconds later something went wrong, the bike wobbled and I fell sideways. “I landed on my left hip and arm and at first I thought I had broken my arm. It was very painful," Ballesteros said. Fortunately, it was only bruised and is no problem for him now. He managed two full rounds at the week-end with no ill effect. Ballesteros, who has won the Scandinavian and German Opens as well as the

Lancome Trophy since his third British Open triumph in July, is seeded second behind defending champion, lan Woosnam of Britain, who beat him last year in the semi-finals. His first match will be today against the winner of yesterday’s 36-hole clash between the American Mark McCumber and Mark McNulty, of Zimbabwe. Although only seeded second, British bookmakers have made him the 2-1 favourite.