A bronze statue of golf legend Severiano “Seve” Ballesteros has disappeared from his hometown, prompting theft investigations.
The life-size bronze statue of the Spanish golf legend Severiano “Seve” Ballesteros, erected in 2009, has gone missing from his hometown of Pedrena in the Cantabria region, according to the city authorities. The Spanish authorities launched investigations after the council of the municipality of Marina de Cudeyo posted on Instagram that the “unfortunate event” over the weekend suggests the statue was stolen. The council asked the public for help in the investigation: “If anyone has noticed suspicious activity, especially in the last 24 hours, please notify the Guardia Civil or local police.”
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The life-size bronze statue captures Ballesteros’ victory moment at the 1984 Open Championship in St. Andrews. Trailing Tom Watson in the final round, Ballesteros turned the game around to win by two strokes, securing the Claret Jug and preventing Watson from claiming a third consecutive Open title.
Severiano Ballesteros: One of Europe’s Greatest Golf Figures
The statue honors the Spaniard Severiano Ballesteros, who contributed to four Ryder Cup wins as both a player and later as the European team captain. His professional career successes began at age 19 when he finished second to Jack Nicklaus at the 1976 Open Championship. Ballesteros won three Open Championships (1979, 1984, and 1988) and claimed the Masters in 1980 and 1983. He received numerous awards (Golfer of the Year), was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1999, and was named European Player of the Century in 2000. He holds the record for the most wins on the PGA European Tour with 50 tournament victories. Ballesteros passed away in 2011 at just 54 years old due to a brain tumor.
The statue was created in 2009 by Spanish sculptor Salvador Garcia Ceballos and permanently installed in La Barqueria Park in 2017.