I would love to win Spain title for Seve

This is going to be one special week for Spanish and European golf. The Spanish Open, which is being played at the Club de Golf de Sevilla, not only marks its 100th anniversary, but it is also 40 years since the tournament became the first ever event played under the European Tour.

There will also be a tinge of sadness as it was on the Saturday of this tournament last year that the legendary Seve Ballesteros lost his battle against cancer.

Golf generates a lot of passion in Spain — well, they are passionate about most things in this country — and nobody epitomised this spirit better than Seve. Of course he was a magician with golf clubs, but sometimes I got the feeling that he could make things happen by sheer willpower and belief.

I have been a big fan of Seve all my life, and when I saw the videos of him winning Majors as a child, I hoped one day I could play shots like him. So, when I met him the first few times as a fellow golfer, I was a bit overawed. Perhaps he could sense it. He actually went out of his way to make sure that I felt comfortable in his company.

I know the whole of Spain is looking forward to this tournament and they would want one of their countrymen to win the impressive trophy. It would pain me to spoil their party, but I'd love to get my hands on it and then dedicate the victory to the incomparable Seve.

First look

Personally, I am feeling extremely tired, having taken a long flight from Seoul to Delhi, and then another flight to London, then another to Madrid, and another to Sevilla. I haven't played the golf course before and the Wednesday pro-am was my first look at it.

However, I hope this is a good omen because I somehow seem to do well when I play golf courses blind. I won the Austrian Open in 2008 having arrived a day before the tournament and played my first round without any idea of the layout. I think psychologically you start thinking differently — you have no idea of what dangers lurk, so you hit it just as your caddie says.

Stateside, some of the best players will gather at Quail Hollow for the Wells Fargo Championship. It is easily one of the top-five favourite Tour stops in the world. Simply put, it is a sensational golf course and I am sure we are going to witness an intense battle out there.

Jeev Milkha Singh is a three-time champion on the European Tour