The Masters is a tough act to follow. The Seve Trophy at Druids Glen tried hard, with its colourful gorse bushes, rain-washed azaleas and nesting swans, but did not quite match the splendour of Augusta National. The swampy nature of the sodden golf course did match the American course - there's not much you can do about that, writes Colin Byrne.

Seve proved to be a very exciting host to watch both as player and captain, despite the nasty weather.

This is probably the last event in which El Gran Senor can genuinely compete (unless he gets an invite to the World Matchplay again this year). He still turns up at majors and many more European events than are good for him. He opened at Augusta with a 75 but could not follow up with anything remotely respectable for a serious contender. He still manufactures a score, usually in the high seventies, but seems only to make the cut in the Swiss event, where of course he redesigned the greens and everyone apart from him finds them difficult to master.

Tenacity, grit, self-belief, willpower, relentlessness and optimism spring to mind when you watch Seve's face as he competes. He genuinely believes he can turn his forlorn golf game around with his next shot. The cure is round the next dog-leg.

Bob Rotella, the sports psyschologist who works with many of the leading American golfers, begins one of his books on the mental part of this complex game with a chapter on dreams and aspirations. You must have goals and aspire to overachieve if you are to improve as a golfer. You don't need to read the first chapter of Golf is a Game of Confidence if you have looked at Seve when he tees it up. He still believes in dreams. He must do to continue playing, as wide as he hits it these days.

Saturday at Druids Glen was a long wet day for all concerned. It took Miguel-Angel Jimenez and Raphael Jacquelin six hours to complete their fourball round. We may well see some time restriction implemented for the next contest. Slow players need to be put under some sort of pressure to force them to speed up.

Back with Ballesteros, and Padraig Harrington and his playing partner for the fourball Paul McGinley said, almost in unison: "I have never seen anything like it," as they returned for a very brief break before resuming their afternoon foursomes. Ballesteros and Jose-Maria Olazabal had accumulated five putts for eight holes, McGinley had calculated as he brooded over the morning defeat.

"No wonder he won so many majors," McGinley continued as he wondered what a fearsome competitor Seve must have been back in his prime.There were no hard feelings from anyone who was on the wrong side of the Spaniard's putters and sand wedges. It was more of a deep-felt respect and recognition for the spirit and doggedness of a golfing icon who refuses to bow down.

The ashen-faced captain lurking on top of a mound overseeing his troops' performance in battle last week is rejuvenated and becomes an intrepid matador when he is called to the ring. Anyone who has a feeling for the game can only step back and marvel at his enthusiasm.

When Friday's first greensome match arrived on the third green Seve emerged like an apparition from the shrubbery beside the green to oversee his first pairing's progress. Robert Karlsson and Thomas Bjorn were doing just fine as Karlsson rattled in yet another birdie to make it three in-a-row for the Scandinavians.

Karlsson hit an errant tee shot off the next. Seve could not sit idly by, he marched across the tee after all the players had hit and started to give Karlsson an unsolicited lesson. Seve believes in the hands-on approach.

As Thomas Levet carved his drive into the gorse bushes on the same hole on Saturday afternoon, again Seve mysteriously appeared with a driver, jumping up and down amongst the gorse trying to give Raphael Jacquelin a line to the pin so that he could drop his ball.

Paul Lawrie and Andy Oldcorn looked on, firstly in amazement at Seve's antics and then with smiles of respect for his passion. Seve was still thinking that they could make four from that position, because he knew he could.

For some unknown reason the Britain and Ireland captain, Colin Montgomerie, seems to struggle against Seve in matchplay. Seve shot 76 in his singles match against Monty and beat him by one shot. Even under tough, windy conditions, this was very average golf.

To those of us who have been turned off the game by the dehumanised approach of the modern golf professional, to see Seve perform with the fire and passion of a Shakespearian actor and win is a refreshing scene.