Golf legend Ballesteros dies

MADRID, May 7 (AFP): Spanish golf legend Severiano Ballesteros, one of golf's all-time greats who lifted five majors and turned a new generation on to the sport, died Saturday aged 54 three years after undergoing an operation to remove a brain tumour. "Seve Ballesteros died at 2:10 am, surrounded by his family, in his home in Pedrena" in northwestern Spain, following "respiratory failure," his family said in a statement. Ballesteros was a charismatic figure who led the European challenge to the decades-long supremacy of the United States. From the mid-1970s to the 1990s, "Seve" was one of the sport's most celebrated personalities, collecting 87 career titles before retiring in 2007 with back problems. Known for his flamboyant and imaginative style of play, he famously won one of his three British Open titles by playing a shot from a temporary parking lot. El Pais led the tributes, calling Ballesteros the "brightest star" and a "unique genius". "The memory of his feats still blinds," the leading Spanish daily said on its website.