MADRID: Seve Ballesteros, one of golf's greatest and most charismatic players, died Saturday at the age of 54 following a long battle with cancer, his family said. The Spaniard, who won five major titles and inspired a generation of players worldwide, died peacefully at 0210 local time surrounded by his family at his home in Pedrena, northern Spain, after four operations on a brain tumor diagnosed in late 2008. World No. 1 Lee Westwood described Ballesteros as an “inspiration, genius, role model, hero and friend,” in one of many warm tributes paid Saturday. “Seve made European golf what it is today,” Westwood added on his Twitter feed. “RIP Seve.” A winner of three British Opens and two Masters titles, Ballesteros also helped revive Europe's fortunes in the Ryder Cup, breathing new life into the team competition against the United States. He won 87 titles worldwide, 50 of them on the European Tour, and had the great satisfaction of captaining Europe to Ryder Cup victory at Valderrama in Spain in 1997. The tumor was originally discovered after Ballesteros collapsed at Madrid airport and was rushed to a nearby hospital. Ballesteros' funeral will be held Wednesday in his native Pedrena. Ballesteros' brother Baldomero told reporters the funeral will be held at St. Peter's Church in this northern coastal town at 1 P.M. (1100 GMT) local time. Ballesteros announced his presence as a teenager in 1976 when he finished second at the British Open, just two years after turning pro aged 16. Topping the European Tour Order of Merit that year – he would go on to do so on another five occasions – was a measure of compensation for being the runner-up after leading at the midway point. In 1979, aged 21, he became the youngest winner of the British Open. A year later, he was the first European to make the breakthrough at the Augusta Masters, opening the floodgates for the likes of Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle, Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam, and his Spanish compatriot Jose Maria Olazabal. That first of two Masters titles made him, at 23, the youngest winner before a 21-year-old Tiger Woods broke his record in 1997. Ballesteros was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1999, where he joined the likes of Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. Golf Digest magazine in 2000 ranked him as the greatest golfer Europe has produced. Perez ahead In Charlotte, North Carolina, Pat Perez was four shots behind playing partner Lucas Glover, then birdied five of the last six holes Friday in the Wells Fargo Championship for a 7-under 65 and a two-shot lead. Perez has made 18 birdies and was at 12-under 132, with a two-shot lead over Bill Haas (70) and Jonathan Byrd (68), with Glover (68) and Phil Mickelson (66) another shot behind. Aiken keeps lead Thomas Aiken maintained his lead after a somber third day of the Spanish Open overshadowed by the death of golf great Seve Ballesteros. The South African shot par 72 Saturday for an eight-under total of 208, two shots ahead of a group of four players. First-round leader Scott Jamieson, Andres Hansen, Romain Wattel, and Pablo Larrazabal are tied for second place. A moment of silence was held for Ballesteros at El Prat course under an overcast sky. Afterward, Spanish golfers Jose Maria Olazabal and Miguel Angel Jimenez embraced in tears, following the loss of their fellow countryman.
