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By Lauren Deason
PGATOUR.com Editorial Coordinator

When 23-year-old Seve Ballesteros won The Masters in 1980, he became -- for 17 years, at least -- the youngest to capture that prestigious title. He topped Jack Nicklaus' record by a mere two months, a record Tiger Woods would later beat in 1997 at age 21.

The colorful Seve Ballesteros is eager to add to the Champions Tour's rich history. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

For nearly two decades, though, Ballesteros was in the books as the youngest to don a Green Jacket. And to think, that wasn't even his first PGA TOUR win or his first major, since he captured the Greater Greensboro Open in 1978 and the British Open in 1979.

Now 50, the Spaniard has a second chance at being the young gun as he makes his debut on the Champions Tour at the Regions Charity Classic in Hoover, Ala., this week. When he hits the first tee on Friday, he'll begin with a new record on a new Tour in a new chapter of his life.

"It's like a replay of early in my career, you know? I get to feel very young. So that's great," said Ballesteros, who worked wonders in his first half century, winning five majors and 87 times internationally and on the PGA TOUR.

"It's something that really makes me feel like this is a second chance in my career. You know, obviously, to come over and play on the Champions Tour with the guys that I competed with before on the (PGA) TOUR, and I know all of them or most of them, and I have a lot of friends in the Champions Tour.

"Obviously, that makes me feel very comfortable."

Not that he wants to wipe the slate entirely clean or anything, not when his previous wins earned him entrance into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1999. And as nice as it is to get a fresh start, he cautioned that he's not necessarily expecting major wins from the get-go, a la 1979 and '80.

"I will do my best, but I don't want you guys to have too much expectations from me. Obviously, from time to time there will be one great shot here, one great shot there, but nothing that you haven't seen before," said Ballesteros, who last won a tournament in 1995. "I haven't competed for a long time, I haven't been under pressure for a long time. The concentration may be there, may be not."

At least he'll have two good venues in his initial two weeks, with his first start coming at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Ross Bridge, a course well-suited for his game. Next up is the Senior PGA Championship at Kiawah Island Resort's Ocean Course, site of the famous "War by the Shore" during the 1991 Ryder Cup.

The European team, including Ballesteros, lost by just one point there to the American squad, but he earned 4 ½ points and further cemented his place in Ryder Cup history. Whether it was winning the Ryder Cup as captain in 1997 or earning a total of 22 ½ points out of 37 matches throughout eight tries, Ballesteros was one of the leaders of the move toward European dominance in the matches.

Even with all of his success in the Ryder Cup format, though, his favorite golf memory came at St. Andrews during the 1984 British Open, when he topped Tom Watson with his final putt.

"That was pretty special," he said. "Again, winning the British Open is something fantastic and very special, but winning in St. Andrews, the home of golf, is even more special. I actually made a tattoo on my left arm, so that tells you how big that victory was to me."

With all the memories, trophies, wins and even tattoos, his presence on the Champions Tour adds further to its rich history and entertainment factor. And even if he doesn't expand upon his own golf history with a few wins, he still finds that his career -- from his young start to his last TOUR win at the 1988 British Open -- has been an enjoyable ride.

"It's been a long time, but it's been a short time at the same time because it's unbelievable how quickly the time goes by, you know? They say that it's like you're going to bed it's like a dream. Life is like a dream. You go to bed and you wake up with age. I don't know if that's a good translation, but we say that in Spain," said Ballesteros.

"In one way it looks like it's been many, many years, and on the other hand it looks like it was yesterday when I joined the TOUR."

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