MADRID, Spain — Seve Ballesteros continues to make progress following surgery on a cancerous brain tumor.

The 53-year-old Spanish golf great is conscious, breathing unaided and able to talk to relatives, La Paz hospital said Monday.

Ballesteros has begun to receive rehabilitation treatment in the intensive care unit, the hospital added.

Ballesteros, a five-time major winner, underwent a 6›-hour operation Oct. 24 to remove the brain tumor and reduce swelling around the brain. It was his third operation since being admitted 18 days earlier after fainting at Madrid's international airport.

Ballesteros' family thanked the public for their messages of support.