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A life-size statue of Seve Ballesteros that was installed in his hometown was stolen, Spanish authorities said.
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.
“Today we have been informed that the statue dedicated to Seve Ballesteros in Pedreña has disappeared. The Local Police and the Civil Guard have started an investigation to clarify what happened, and everything indicates that it is a robbery,” the city council reported this Monday in an Instagram post.
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A statue of Seve Ballesteros celebrating his victory in the 1984 Open Championship 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 It’s today. Initially the tournament was contested only between the United States, Great Britain and Ireland, but expanded to include all of Europe in 1979, making Ballesteros and other golf legends eligible.
It took a couple of events for Team Europe to become a force, but since the 1985 Ryder Cup, Team Europe is 13-6-1 and just won 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 straight between 2010 and 2014, and was also the first “away win” since Europe retained the Cup with a dramatic comeback on Sunday 2012 at Medinah, the first since Ballesteros’ death. His compatriot José María Olazábal was the team captain, while the team wore touches 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 saw how much it meant to everyone. I started, I thought, maybe I made a mistake…” McIlroy told reporters in Bethpage. “I remember Seve [Ballesteros] He was sick and we had him on one of those conference calls back in the day. He’s talking to the team and we’re all in the team room. This is Wednesday or Thursday night. 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 think, 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, that was the moment for me.”
