Nearly 100 million TV viewers watched U.S. Masters

LONDON (Reuters) - Last week's U.S. Masters attracted a worldwide television audience of close to 100 million, Augusta National Golf Club chairman Billy Payne said in a statement.

Preliminary numbers were up roughly 15 percent from 2007 and the tournament was also followed by 5.4 million viewers online at www.masters.org.

Trevor Immelman won the first major of the year by three shots at Augusta on Sunday, becoming the first South African to clinch the green jacket since Gary Player in 1978.

Tennis - France Fed Cup captain Georges Goven has called up Amelie Mauresmo, Nathalie Dechy, Alize Cornet and Virginie Razzano to play Japan in a playoff in Tokyo on April 26-27, the French tennis federation said in a statement.

Soccer-English minor league club Aldershot Town were promoted to League Two (fourth division), 16 years after Aldershot FC folded, following a 1-1 draw at Exeter.

(Editing by Tony Jimenez)