As Jack Nicklaus prepares for his Open farewell at St Andrews in three weeks' time another golfing great is sure to receive an equally warm reception the moment he shows his face.

Seve Ballesteros has not played competitively since November 2003 and a year ago was wondering if he ever would again.

But although he is still undergoing treatment on his arthritic back the 48-year-old is in the field for the Old Course and according to his nephew and manager Ivan the plan remains for him to make his comeback on the grandest stage of all.

Ballesteros had hoped to return at the Masters in April, but withdrew because of a knee he twisted when practising and then pulled out of the Spanish Open as well.

"I need to be true to myself and recognise that I'm not in the best condition to play," he said.

"I'm just waiting and obviously won't start playing again until I feel I can do so in a dignified manner."

In his last 23 European Tour events the former world number one has made only two halfway cuts and he last played all four rounds of a major in 1996.

He has not even appeared in the US Open or US PGA since then and has missed the last three Opens and last two Masters as well.

What constitutes a "dignified manner" is open to different interpretations, of course, but there is a coming event other than the Open which needs addressing and which apparently is being addressed already.

In honour of the man who won two Masters, the Opens of 1979, 1984 and 1988 - two at Royal Lytham and the middle of those at St Andrews - and played such an inspirational role in Europe's Ryder Cup success the Seve Trophy was introduced.

Ballesteros captained Continental Europe against a Britain and Ireland side led by Colin Montgomerie and part of the format was that the two captains faced each other in the singles.

In the inaugural match at Sunningdale in 2000 Ballesteros, a fading force, beat the player who had won the last seven Order of Merits two and one and the continent won by a single point.

Two years later the Spaniard, outside Europe's top 200 by then, amazingly won again at Druids Glen in Ireland, his still sharp short game making up for some quite horrendous drives. One did not even make it past the ladies tee.

Come the 2003 match at El Saler in Valencia, however, Ballesteros was simply unable to cover up the cracks in his play and suffered a five and four defeat.

Should he go on being a playing captain was the obvious question and it may be that a change is at hand, with the job being handed on to his Ryder Cup partner Jose Maria Olazabal and Ballesteros taking on a tournament host role for this September's match at The Wynyard in Durham.

Olazabal, with whom Ballesteros formed the most successful pairing ever against the Americans, obviously has the credentials and is seen as an almost certain future Ryder Cup captain, quite possibly in 2012 after Ian Woosnam, Nick Faldo and Montgomerie have held the post.

The 39-year-old, who turned down invitations to act as an assistant to both Sam Torrance in 2002 and Bernhard Langer last year, was involved in controversy at the last Seve Trophy, the match ending with him and Padraig Harrington not seeing eye-to-eye after the Irishman accused him of repairing damage to a green without consulting a referee first and Olazabal, feeling his integrity had been questioned, conceding the hole.

As for who makes the two teams this year this is how it stands as present:

Britain and Ireland - Harrington, Luke Donald, Darren Clarke and David Howell are the top four on the world rankings and Stephen Dodd, Paul McGinley, Steve Webster and Ian Poulter take the next four spots off the Order of Merit. Montgomerie always hands his one wild card to the next highest-ranked player in the world and that currently is Lee Westwood

Continental Europe - Sergio Garcia, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Thomas Bjorn and Thomas Levet from the world rankings; Peter Hanson, Henrik Stenson, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Peter Hedblom from the Order of Merit. If Olazabal becomes captain Fredrik Jacobson might then be his wild card pick

On the captaincy issue Montgomerie said at the US Open last week that it had to be Ballesteros's call on when he stepped down.

Ballesteros at St Andrews, meanwhile, would bring back memories of one of the great Opens of all-time.

Tom Watson came to the Old Course trying to equal Harry Vardon's record six victories, having won at Carnoustie, Turnberry, Muirfield, Troon and Birkdale.

The two were neck-and-neck with two holes to play, but Ballesteros, having bogeyed the Road Hole 17th the first three days, managed a par and just as Watson bogeyed it in the group behind, hitting his approach over the green and up against the wall, the Spaniard birdied the last.

His punch of joy to all sections of the crowd became his trademark. He even has a tattoo of it on his arm.