BACOLOD CITY?He lived as a golf legend. Yet he refused the revered treatment reserved for a hero in his death.

There will be ?no wake and no viewing? for Luis ?Golem? Silverio, the former amateur ace who passed away Sunday morning in his hometown here in Negros Occidental province.

?He doesn?t like fanfare, his friends would know that,? Silverio?s youngest sister and closest sibling, GV, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer Monday. ?He wanted to be cremated and buried immediately.?

Silverio passed away around 7 a.m. Sunday at the Dr. Pablo Torre Memorial Hospital after a 14-year bout with emphysema. He was 70.

?He had had attacks, but he was pretty much OK,? said GV of her brother, the only Filipino amateur to win the Philippine Open in 1966.

Silverio?s Open victory in 1966 earned him a spot among the world?s elite golfers in the US Masters.

Arguably the best amateur golfer the country ever had, Silverio was the most dominant player in the Putra Cup, where he won seven individual titles. He was also the RP Open low amateur 12 times.

?He always wanted to win,? recalled GV. ?For him, when you?re No. 2, you didn?t win. He was very disciplined?early to bed, early to rise. It was a whole day of preparation for him.?

With his passion for the game, Silverio was the natural choice as designer of what is now known as the Marapara, the 6,197-yard Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club in the 1960s.

Nicknamed ?Golem? after the legendary folk hero known for his great strength, Silverio opted not to turn pro, although many believe he would have been up to par with Filipino greats Celestino Tugot and Ben Arda.

?For him, money was not worth it,? said GV. ?He just loved the game.?

Silverio, the third of eight siblings, was survived by family members Terry S. Lacson, Jaime ?Boy,? Alberto ?Bitoy,? Ricardo ?Ricky,? GV, Tomas ?Peewee,? Rosalina ?Nana? Sarrosa and ward Arnold Alvarez.

Summing up his brother?s earnest life, GV said: ?He was just a regular person who loved golf.?