Thursday, October 30 2008 -- Seve Ballesteros had his first brain operation in October 6. He had his second surgery in October 8 and stayed in the intensive care unit to prepare him for another round of surgery. So far there were no reported complications that time and was scheduled to undergo the third one.

In October 23, Thursday, he had his third brain surgery which lasted the whole day. The medical team expressed a positive result. They believed they were successful in lessening the bleeding and improving the pressure in the brain. They were able to remove the remaining tumor tissue.

However, hospital staffs announced that Seve may have showed exceptional strength in battling against his neurological status but he does need to be controlled in the Intensive Care Unit for several days.

The tumor was diagnosed as oligoastrocytoma. This is one type that affects two kinds of cells in the brain. It can readily spread into the brain cavity.

At this time, the legendary golfer is still heavily sedated since the last few days. He is under trachectomy to help him breathe normally. The medical team, on the other hand, is stressed out with questions on the unusual process in the operation. But they expressed that what they do is part of the policy and hospital protocol. It is normally done in similar cases.

The colleagues of Ballesteros though concerned with his case, are at the time preoccupied preparing for the Volvo Masters. This Valderrama tournament is what decides the European Tour’s Order of Merit. Seve’s absence makes a handful of the golfers recall his performance on the course. He is the typical player to take pride in making the hole no matter how tough it is.