Australian golfing great Peter Thomson dies

SYDNEY, June 20 (AFP): Australian golfing great Peter Thomson, who won the British Open five times, died Wednesday aged 88 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease, his family said.

"He had been suffering from Parkinson's disease for more than four years and lost his brave battle at home in Melbourne surrounded by family," a statement said.

Thomson was the first Australian to win the British Open, claiming five titles between 1954 and 1965, including three consecutive wins. Only Tom Watson in the modern era has matched the feat.

In total, he won 26 times in Europe, 19 times in Australia and New Zealand and another 11 in Asia and Japan.

He played only a few seasons in the United States, winning the Texas Open in 1956. But he did tee-off regularly on the American senior circuit, winning nine times in 1985, setting a record that may never be broken.