Seve's uncle passes away

Madrid - Ramon Sota, an uncle of golfing great Seve Ballesteros and a successful tournament player in the 1960s and 70s, has died at the age of 74, the Spanish golf federation said.

Sota was a key figure in the growth of the game in Spain and a major inspiration for his nephew Seve, who passed away in May last year after battling a brain tumour.

After turning pro in 1956, Sota won the Spanish Championship four times as well as a slew of other tournaments around the globe.

He finished seventh at the British Open in 1963 and eighth in 1971 and was sixth at the US Masters in 1965, the best result by a European up to that date.

"The members of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation would like to express their deepest condolences to family and friends," the federation said in a statement on their website (www.rfegolf.es).