A bronze statue of golf legend Severiano ‘Seve’ Ballesteros has disappeared from his hometown. Authorities are investigating the theft.
A life-sized 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. Spanish authorities have launched an investigation after the city council of the larger municipality Marina de Cudeyo announced via Instagram that the “unfortunate event” over the weekend suggests the statue was stolen. The city council has asked the public for help in the investigation: “If anyone has seen suspicious activity, especially in the last 24 hours, please inform the Guardia Civil or local police directly.”
The life-sized bronze statue captures the moment of Ballesteros’ victory at the 1984 Open Championship at St. Andrews. Ballesteros was trailing Tom Watson in the final round but turned the game around to win by two strokes, securing the Claret Jug and denying Watson his third consecutive Open title.
Severiano Ballesteros: One of Europe’s Greatest Golf Figures
The bronze statue honors Spaniard Severiano Ballesteros, who as both player and later captain helped the European Ryder Cup team to four victories. His professional career successes began at age 19 when he finished runner-up to Jack Nicklaus at the 1976 Open Championship. Ballesteros won three Open Championships (1979, 1984, 1988) and two Masters titles in 1980 and 1983. He earned numerous accolades, including Golfer of the Year awards, was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1999, and was named European Player of the Century in 2000. With 50 tournament victories, he holds the PGA European Tour record. Ballesteros passed away in 2011 at the age of 54 from a brain tumor.
The statue was created in 2009 by Spanish sculptor Salvador Garcia Ceballos and was permanently installed in La Barqueria Park in 2017.