Spain’s Alvaro Quiros won the Portugal Masters at the Oceânico Victoria Golf Course in Vilamoura after holding off Europe’s form players, Robert Karlsson and StrokeAverage.com client Ross Fisher.

The 25 year old pocketed the €500,000 winner’s cheque after a final round 68 for a 19 under par total and immediately dedicated his win to Seve Ballesteros, recovering in hospital from an operation to remove a brain tumour.

Alvaro Quiros said: "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.

"Seve was and still is a personal inspiration for all of the Spaniards and we wish him well. Today was a tough day for me with the long game. But with the short game, I kind of stopped and remembered him, you know, when he made chip and putts and wonderful recoveries.

"Seve played in a different way of the rest of the world. He was something special. He was playing more with the heart than the real game, and today was one of those days. We think you have two ways to do the birdies: The easy way, driver, green, one putt; and the other one is drive, I don't know where, chip, I don't know where, and a good putt, and this is the way that I played today."

Scotland’s Paul Lawrie, the 1999 Open Champion, holed a 30 foot birdie putt on the last for a 67 to claim second on his own and finish three strokes behind the winner.

While European Order of Merit leader Karlsson, who had begun the final round one shot behind Alvaro Quiros, had to settle for a share of third place after carding a 71.

Alvaro Quiros took the title in style, calmly sinking a five foot birdie putt on the 18th green.

Alvaro Quiros said: “Well, you can imagine how happy I am right now. It's been a really tough year for me. This is like a little help.”

The Spanish golfer is one of the biggest hitters on Tour, but it is not only his length that will attract golf fans across Europe but his sense of humour, which was evident from the first tee when he starting cracking jokes with his playing partners.

After completing the last five holes of his third round early on after a thunderstorm forced play to be abandoned on Saturday, he moved one shot ahead of the field.

It was an advantage he did not hold onto for long when, after outrageously birdieing the opening hole with a 50 foot putt, he bogeyed the second. It was the start of an afternoon when the lead was to change hands regularly.

A birdie at the second took StrokeAverage.com client Ross Fisher to the top of the leaderboard and after an early dropped shot, Robert Karlsson then produced three birdies on the trot.

But the tournament was finally sorted on the back nine as Ross Fisher dropped back with a run of three successive bogeys and Robert Karlsson found water at the 17th.

Second place Paul Lawrie said: “It feels great to be competitive again.”

Robert Karlsson said: “I did my part and I didn't play that well today, so there we go. But I had a chance up until the 17th where I hit a poor shot, but it's been one of those weeks where I haven't hit the ball great, and when it's been in between it's just been a bit, and I've had a few indifferent shots.”

As for Alvaro Quiros, he returns home to Spain for the CASTELLO MASTERS Costa Azuhar and then the Volvo Masters at Valderrama, before he heads off to the HSBC Champions in Shanghai.

A mention should also be made for StrokeAverage.com clients Rory McIlroy and Chris Wood who both finished in 10th place.