Seve won his first British Open in 1979, becoming the youngest winner of the century.

His next appearance in a major was at the U.S. Masters where, in 1980, he again amazed everyone. With 9 holes to go he was 10 ahead of the player in second place.. Seve holed 23 birdies and an eagle. Augusta already had its winner. At 23 he became the second non-American and first European to wear the green jacket. It was really an incredible success. The churchbells in his home town rang out in joy, however, in the rest of Spain little interest was roused.

By then he was already known as one of the longest hitters in golfing history and his Augusta victory proved that he was the most complete player of the moment.

The winning streak of two consecutive Grand Slam victories petered out in the United States where he was disqualified in the U.S. Open for arriving late for his tee-off. This was his first great disappointment.