A life-sized statue honoring five-time major champion Seve Ballesteros has disappeared from his hometown of Pedrena in Spain.
Spanish officials are conducting an investigation following a statement from the Marina de Cudeyo town council on Instagram, indicating that the “unfortunate event” over the weekend suggests the statue was stolen.
Seve Ballesteros, a Spaniard who played a pivotal role in Europe’s victories in four Ryder Cups as both a player and captain, passed away from brain cancer in 2011 at the age of 54.
The bronze statue, crafted by sculptor Salvador Garcia Ceballos in 2009, was permanently placed in La Barqueria Park in 2017.
It depicts the moment Ballesteros celebrated a notable victory at the Open Championship held at St Andrews in 1984.
At that time, Ballesteros was behind Tom Watson in the final round but made a comeback to win by two shots, securing the Claret Jug and preventing the American from achieving a third consecutive Open title.
Pedrena is located near Santander in the Cantabria region of northern Spain.