EUROPEAN TOUR NEWS:POWERFUL YOUNG Spaniard Alvaro Quiros proved there is more to his game than just booming drives as he produced a three-shot victory at the Portugal Masters.
The 25-year-old from Cadiz showed he has strength of character to go with his power as he held off a determined challenge from European money list leader Robert Karlsson and England's Ross Fisher.
And he clinched the €500,000 first prize - the biggest of his career - in style, calmly sinking a five-foot birdie putt on the 18th green at the Victoria Club in Vilamoura to complete a four-under-par 68 for a 19-under total.
Karlsson, who had been hot favourite to clinch his third successive Tour victory after wins in the German Masters and the Dunhill Links Championship, eventually had to settle for a share of third place after a series of mistakes.
Instead, the runners-up spot went to Scotland's Paul Lawrie, who produced his best tournament finish for three years.
But at the end of a week when all Spanish golfing attention has been devoted to the failing health of Seve Ballesteros, the emergence of another exciting star from that country will be welcomed.
Quiros sign-posted his ability with his victory in the 2007 Dunhill Championship in South Africa, but that field could not compare to the one in Vilamoura, which contained six members of the recent European Ryder Cup team.
But it is not only his length that will attract fans across Europe but his engaging sense of humour, which was evident from the first tee when he started cracking jokes with his two playing partners.
He had to get up early to complete his third round after a thunderstorm forced play to be abandoned on Saturday. And in completing five holes he moved one shot ahead of the field.
It was an advantage he did not hold on to for long when, after outrageously birdieing the opening hole with a 50-foot putt, he immediately bogeyed the second.
It was the start of an afternoon when the lead was to change hands regularly.
A birdie at the second took Fisher to the top of the leaderboard and, after an early dropped shot, Karlsson then produced three birdies on the trot.
But the tournament was finally sorted on the back nine as Fisher dropped back with a run of three successive bogeys and Karlsson found water at the 17th.
Karlsson now leads Pádraig Harrington by just under €300,000 in the money list heading for the Volvo Masters, when victory for Karlsson would have almost certainly settled the Order of Merit title.
Rory McIlroy finished best of the Irish, tied for 10th on 12 under, after firing a fourth consecutive 69. He had only seven pars in his round.
For Quiros there is now a place in the Tournament of Champions in Shanghai, and throughout his round Ballesteros was never far from his thoughts.
"My caddy told me that Seve always wanted to beat everybody and today I drew inspiration from thinking about the way he played his golf," said Quiros.
