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A life-size statue of Seve Ballesteros, installed in his hometown, has been stolen, Spanish authorities announced.
The statue, built in 2009, commemorates Ballesteros’ victory in 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 of the disappearance of the statue dedicated to Seve Ballesteros in Pedreña. The local police and the Civil Guard have opened an investigation to clarify what happened, and everything indicates that it is a theft,” the municipality said in a message published on Instagram on Monday.
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A statue of Seve Ballesteros celebrating his victory at the 1984 Open Championship was stolen Monday in his hometown, Spanish authorities said. (David Cannon, David Benito/Getty Images)
The Open Championship depicted in the statue was one of five major tournaments won by the Hall of Famer. He won the Masters twice as well as two other Open Championships.
Ballesteros played a key role in what the Ryder Cup it’s today. The tournament initially pitted only the United States, Great Britain and Ireland, but expanded across 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 is coming off back-to-back Cups.
Seve Ballesteros of Spain with an iron shot during the 112th Open Championship on July 14, 1983 at the 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 won three in a row between 2010 and 2014, and it was also the first “road victory” since Europe retained the Cup with a dramatic comeback Sunday in 2012 at Medinah, the first since Ballesteros’ death. Fellow Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal was the team captain, while the team wore accents of navy blue and white on the final day to pay tribute to him.
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 saw how much it meant to everyone. I kind of started, I was like, maybe I was wrong…,” McIlroy told reporters at Bethpage. “I remember Sève [Ballesteros] was sick, and we got him on one of those conference calls back in the day. He speaks to the team and we are all in the team room. It’s Wednesday or Thursday evening. And I look around and the majority of the team is crying while Seve is talking to us.
Seve Ballesteros dons 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. This is the epitome of what the European Ryder Cup team is. I think that was the moment, that conference call with Seve in 2010, that was the moment for me.”
