5 live listeners respond to the passing of an icon

Let me take you back. We knew the golfing legend Seve Ballesteros had suffered a severe deterioration in his condition the previous day but not long before Phil and Anna went on air at 6am we started to get reports that Seve had sadly died. We had to check it out for ourselves because it seemed that only Spanish local TV were reporting the news many people had been dreading.

The texts started flowing not long before 7am as listeners picked up the news that was by this time dominating Twitter and other social media.

One listener told us how he had met Seve at one of the major championships in the eighties. A chance meeting had turned into a golfing masterclass from the Spaniard. Quickly it started to emerge that these weren't meaningless tributes but personal stories from British golf fans touched by personal encounters with the great man.

By the time the news was finally confirmed I was glued to the text screen.

Tom, from Wokingham, told us how his mother had been working on reception at the 1983 Open when Seve came rushing out from the dressing room clutching his lucky green trousers. The trousers had a hole in them, but Seve was desperate to wear them for that day's play, so Tom's mother grabbed a needle and thread and returned the trousers in full working order. She was inconsolable on the morning of May 7.

Dan, in Cheshire, said Seve was "the greatest golfer to ever play the game" and told us how, as a 16 year old, he had watched Seve escape from a car park at the 16th hole at Royal Lytham St Annes, a shot he described as the greatest he had ever seen.

Perhaps the most moving conversation I had that morning was with a golf fan called Oscar. Oscar called the newsroom and asked if he could pay tribute to Seve. He didn't want to go on air because he wasn't sure he would be able to hold himself together but he told me how he had followed Seve as a fan for 30 years, meeting him time and time again at tournaments.

The pair had become great friends and, through his tears, Oscar told me how much Seve meant to him. It was a stunning example of perhaps what set Seve apart from some other golfing and sporting champions - while his talent was on a par with others, he shared his talent, his numerous ups and his greatest struggles with us. The sporting public felt like they knew him, and he in turn knew them.

The texts came thick and fast and what was incredible to see was how few listeners simply said they were sorry to hear about Seve's death. Almost all of them told a story of a meeting with Seve or how watching him play inspired them to pick up a club.

It wasn't just the texters that illuminated that morning's show. We had tributes from Seve's friend and Ryder Cup captain Bernard Gallacher, and the BBC's voice of golf Peter Alliss said he "brought delight and joy to many people who watched golf." He described Seve as "feisty, skilful, cheeky and lovable."

Phil talked to Peter about his memories of the 'Seve shuffle' when he won the 1984 Open at St Andrews, a moment Peter described as 'absolute bliss'.

But for me, the most moving words came from the chairman of the Association of Golf Writers, Bill Elliott. Bill had first encountered Seve in a fish restaurant in Southport in 1976, just before that year's Open. Bill said the 19 year old Seve was as 'handsome as a man could be, with charisma dripping from every pore," and added, "no one ever buckled their swash better than Severiano."

I am a keen golfer myself but I can't share too many memories about Seve. When I first picked up a club, the great man's powers were starting to dwindle due to his chronic back trouble.

But never was his influence on young and old alike and what he meant to European golf demonstrated better than during the recent Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor.

On the Wednesday before the matches Europe captain Colin Montgomerie, in an inspired move, organised a conference call with Seve from his home in Pedrena.

Seve left the players feeling like they would run through brick walls to secure a European victory.

Working on a show like 5 live Breakfast often involves reacting to breaking news and changing things around on the run. It's often a bit of a struggle but I can honestly say that working that morning was an absolute privilege.

Hearing story after story about Seve's dashing bravado, his genius with a golf club and his unique charisma left me in no doubt that we were mourning the passing of a true great.

I hope we did him justice.

Steve Bland is a producer on 5 live Breakfast

Related links

Seve Ballesteros' official website

Golf news on the BBC