Life-size statue of golf legend Seve Ballesteros stolen from his Spain hometown

A life-size statue of Seve Ballesteros that was installed successful his hometown has been stolen, Spanish authorities said.

The statue, built successful 2009, commemorates Ballesteros' triumph astatine the 1984 Open Championship astatine St. Andrews. The Spaniard died of encephalon crab astatine property 54 successful 2011.

"Earlier contiguous we were informed that the statue dedicated to Seve Ballesteros successful Pedreña has gone missing. The Local Police and the Civil Guard person launched an probe to clarify what happened, and each indications suggest that it was a theft," the municipality assembly said Monday successful an Instagram post.

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A statue of Seve Ballesteros celebrating his 1984 Open Championship triumph was stolen from his hometown connected Monday, Spanish authorities said. (David Cannon, David Benito/Getty Images)

The Open Championship depicted successful the statue was 1 of 5 majors the Hall of Famer won. He won the Masters doubly on with 2 different Open Championships.

Ballesteros played a cardinal relation successful what the Ryder Cup is today. The tourney had initially been betwixt conscionable the United States and Great Britain and Ireland, but it expanded to see each of Europe successful 1979, making Ballesteros and different play legends eligible.

It took a mates of events for Team Europe to go a force, but since the 1985 Ryder Cup, Team Europe is 13-6-1 and conscionable won back-to-back Cups. 

Seve Ballesteros of Spain with an robust changeable during the 112th Open Championship connected July 14, 1983, astatine the Royal Birkdale Golf Club successful Southport, United Kingdom.  (David Cannon/Allsport/Getty Images)

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This past September's triumph astatine Bethpage Black was the archetypal repetition since Europe had won 3 consecutive from 2010 to 2014, and it was besides the archetypal "road victory" since Europe retained the Cup with a melodramatic Sunday comeback successful 2012 astatine Medinah, the archetypal since Ballesteros' death. Fellow Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal was the squad captain, portion the squad wore splashes of navy bluish and achromatic connected the last time to wage tribute.

In fact, Ballesteros is the crushed Rory McIlroy realized helium was "wrong" astir the Ryder Cup, which helium erstwhile called an "exhibition."

"I got into that squad country astatine Celtic Manor (in 2010) and I conscionable saw however overmuch it meant to everyone. I benignant of started, I was like, possibly I got this wrong…" McIlroy told reporters backmost astatine Bethpage. "I retrieve Seve [Ballesteros] was sick, and we had him connected 1 of those league telephone things backmost successful the day. He's speaking to the team, and we're each successful the squad room. This is connected the Wednesday oregon Thursday night. And I look astir and the bulk of the squad is crying arsenic Seve is talking to us.

Seve Ballesteros puts connected the Green Jacket during the 1983 Masters Tournament astatine Augusta National Golf Club connected April 11, 1983, successful Augusta, Georgia.  (Augusta National/Getty Images)

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"And I'm like, that's it. That's the embodiment of what the European Ryder Cup Team is. I deliberation that was the moment, that league telephone with Seve successful 2010, was the infinitesimal for me."

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