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A life-size statue of Seve Ballesteros, which was installed in his hometown, has been stolen, Spanish authorities say.
The statue, built in 2009, commemorates Ballesteros’ victory at the 1984 Open Championship at St. Andrews. The Spaniard died of brain cancer at the age of 54 in 2011.
“Earlier today we were informed that the statue dedicated to Seve Ballesteros in Pedreña has disappeared. The local police and the Civil Guard have launched an investigation to clarify what happened and everything indicates that it was a theft,” the city council said on Monday in an Instagram post.
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A statue of Seve Ballesteros celebrating his 1984 Open Championship victory was stolen from his hometown on Monday, Spanish authorities said. (David Cannon, David Benito/Getty Images)
The Open Championship depicted in the statue was one of five majors the Hall of Famer won. He won the Masters twice along with two other Open Championships.
Ballesteros played a key role in what Ryder Cup is today. The tournament had originally been only between the United States and Great Britain and Ireland, but it expanded to include all of Europe in 1979, making Ballesteros and other golf legends eligible.
It took a few events for Team Europe to become a force, but since the 1985 Ryder Cup, Team Europe is 13-6-1 and has just won back-to-back Cups.
Seve Ballesteros of Spain with an iron shot during the 112th Open Championship on July 14, 1983 at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, United Kingdom. (David Cannon/Allsport/Getty Images)
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Last September’s victory at Bethpage Black was the first repeat since Europe had won three straight from 2010 to 2014, and it was also the first “road win” since Europe retained the Cup with a dramatic Sunday comeback in 2012 at Medinah, the first since the death of Ballesteros. Fellow Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal captained the team, while the team wore splashes of navy blue and white on the final day to pay tribute.
In fact, Ballesteros is the reason Rory McIlroy realized he was “wrong” about the Ryder Cup, which he once called an “exhibition.”
“I walked into that team room at Celtic Manor (in 2010) and I just saw how much it meant to everybody. I kind of started, I thought, maybe I got it wrong…” McIlroy told reporters back at Bethpage. “I remember Seve [Ballesteros] was sick and we had him on one of those conference calls back then. He’s talking to the team and we’re all in the team room. This is Wednesday or Thursday evening. And I look around and most of the team is crying as Seve talks to us.
Seve Ballesteros puts on the green jacket during the 1983 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 11, 1983 in Augusta, Georgia. (Augusta National/Getty Images)
“And I’m like, that’s it. That’s the embodiment of what the European Ryder Cup team is. I think that was the moment, that conference call with Seve in 2010, was the moment for me.”
