Ramon Sota dies at 74

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MADRID -- The Spanish golf federation says Ramon Sota, the uncle of Seve Ballesteros and inspirational player of the 1960s and '70s, has died. He was 74.

At age 18, Sota won the first of four Spanish championships. He also won four tournaments in Portugal, France and Brazil during the 1960s. He finished sixth at the 1965 Masters in Augusta, at the time the best result by a European player. Sota's best result at the British Open was seventh in 1963.

Sota, who retired in 1972, inspired Ballesteros to go on to become Europe's top player with five major victories. Ballesteros died of a brain tumor last year.

Sota's son Jose Antonio says his father's philosophy was "work, fight, recovery" and "he had a competitive spirit and knew how to recover from a bad day."

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

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