Jack Newton, who lost a British Open playoff, dead at 72

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Jack Newton, who lost to Tom Watson in a 1975 British Open playoff and tied for second behind Seve Ballesteros at the 1980 Masters before his professional golf career ended in a near-fatal aircraft propeller accident, has died. He was 72.

Newton, who had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, died early Friday due to "health complications," his family said in a statement.

"(He) was a fearless competitor and iconic Australian, blazing a formidable trail during his professional golfing career," his family added. "He fought back from tremendous adversity as only he could."

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FILE - Tom Watson, left, of the U.S.A. and Jack Newton of Australia shake hands before the playoff to decide the winner of the British Open Golf Championship, in Carnoustie, Scotland in July 1975. Newton, who lost to Watson in a 1975 British Open playoff and tied for second behind Seve Ballesteros at the 1980 Masters before his professional golf career ended in a near-fatal plane propeller accident, has died Friday, April 15, 2022. He was 72. (AP Photo, File)

Newton won the U.S. PGA Tour's Buick Open in 1978 and the Australian Open in 1979 and three tournaments in Europe before his career —- and nearly his life — ended when he walked into the propeller of a small plane he was about to board at Sydney airport on July 24, 1983.

His right arm was severed, he lost sight in his right eye and also sustained severe injuries to his abdomen. Doctors gave him only a 50-50 chance of surviving, and he spent nearly two months in intensive care and required lengthy rehabilitation from his injuries.

"Things weren’t looking too good for