Former Masters champion Brewer dies at 75

Atlanta (Georgia) Sep 1: American Gay Brewer, an 11-times PGA Tour winner whose only major victory came at the 1967 Masters, died aged 75 after a long battle with lung cancer.

Brewer, who was born in Middletown, Ohio, died at his home in Lexington, Kentucky, yesterday.

''We are deeply saddened by the loss of Gay Brewer,'' Billy Payne, chairman of the Masters tournament and Augusta National Golf Club, said in a statement.

''Gay was a wonderful champion and individual and will be dearly missed in April. We express our heartfelt sympathy to his family.'' World number one Tiger Woods, a four-times Masters champion, paid tribute to Brewer after yesterday's opening round of the Deutsche Bank Championship in Norton, Massachusetts.

''Gay was great,'' Woods told reporters after returning a one-over-par 72 at the TPC Boston.

''Man, he told more stories and was just incredible to be around. That's shocking (news).'' Brewer won the 1967 Masters by a stroke over his close friend and compatriot Bobby Nichols.

The previous year, he had led the tournament with one hole to play before bogeying the 18th to drop back into a three-way playoff. Jack Nicklaus edged out Brewer and Tommy Jacobs for the title.

In June this year, the golf course at Picadome in Lexington where Brewer learned to play the game was renamed the ''Gay Brewer Jr. Course''.

Reuters>