Seve Ballesteros is in a stable condition and has been transferred to intensive care. Photograph: Glenn Campbell/AFP/Getty Images

Five-time major winner Seve Ballesteros has undergone surgery as part of treatment for a brain tumour. Madrid’s La Paz hospital today released a statement confirming that the operation took place on Tuesday, was without any complications and that Ballesteros was “conscious and in a stable condition”. Reports in Spanish newspaper Marca claim the operation took 12 hours.

A hospital spokeswoman said a sizeable part of the tumour was removed. It was not immediately known if the entire growth had been taken out. She said the tumour would now be analysed and would take several days before results were known. “At present, [he] is conscious and in a stable condition, although he will not be able to receive visits in the next few days until he recovers from the surgical process. The next medical report will be given when the patient moves to the ward, which will probably be next week.”

The 51-year-old Ballesteros briefly lost consciousness and was admitted to hospital on October 6, when his tumour was discovered.

“The operation, with the objective of a resection of the detected brain tumour, started at 9am and concluded without complications,” added the statement. A resection refers to a procedure to remove as much of a brain tumour as possible before radio- or chemotherapy.

guardian.co.uk