India's first professional golfer S K Jamshed Ali died at a private hospital in Kolkata on Tuesday after fighting a long, grinding battle against oral cancer. He was 53.
The Arjuna awardee leaves behind his wife, a son and five daughters, family members said.
Jamshed, the country's first caddie-turned-professional golfer to make it big in the game, succumbed to the disease at the Thakurpukur Cancer Hospital around noon.
The golfer had been discharged from hospital after a dose of chemotherapy three weeks ago, but was readmitted three days back after his condition deteriorated.
Jamshed, who won the coveted Arjuna in 1978, made a name for himself in the 1970s and early 1980s by performing superbly in all-India tournaments.
At a time when the game had limited scope in the country, he put up decent performances on the fairways of Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, besides winning the Dunlop Open twice in Chennai, and emerging champion in tourneys in Delhi and Mumbai.