Big-hitting Alvaro Quiros of Spain won the Portugal Masters by three strokes on Sunday and dedicated his victory to Seve Ballesteros who is fighting for his life after surgery to remove a brain tumor.
The 25-year-old from Cadiz carded a final round 68 for a 19 under par total at the Oceanico Victoria Golf Course while European Order of Merit leader Robert Karlsson had to settle for a share of third place after carding a 71. The giant Swede conceded second spot to 1999 British Open champion Paul Lawrie of Scotland who shot a 67 to finish three strokes behind the winner. Quiros said his thoughts were with compatriot Ballesteros who is still recovering from surgery in a Madrid hospital.
Quiros was up early on Sunday to complete his third round after a thunderstorm forced play to be abandoned early on Saturday and in completing five holes he moved one shot ahead of the field. In his final round, he birdied the opening hole with a 50 foot putt but then bogeyed the second.
PHOTO: AFP
■ SHRINERS OPEN
AFP, LAS VEGAS
Marc Turnesa fired a four-under-par 68 on Sunday to win the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, the first PGA Tour title of his career.
Turnesa finished with a 72-hole total of 25-under 263, one stroke in front of Matt Kuchar who posted a 67 for 264.
Chad Campbell, John Mallinger and Michael Allen shared third, three shots off the lead.
Turnesa comes from a golfing family. His late grandfather Michael won six PGA Tour events and his great uncle Joe had 15 tour titles to his credit.
Turnesa improved to 75th on the money list from 138th, joining his relatives as PGA Tour winners. He had six birdies and two bogeys on Sunday.
■ KAPALUA CLASSIC
AFP, MAUI, Hawaii
Morgan Pressel birdied the 72nd hole to win the US$1.5 million Kapalua LPGA Classic here on Sunday.
Pressel’s final flourish capped a three-under-par 69 for an eight-under total of 280.
Norway’s Suzann Pettersen was second on 281, also posting a final round 69. Laura Diaz closed with a 70 for third place on 282.
Pressel, 20, birdied two of her final three holes and secured the victory with a 15-footer from the front fringe.
She claimed her first victory of 2008 and the second of her career, to go with the Kraft Nabisco Championship she captured last year.
Angela Stanford (70) and Sun Young Yoo (72) tied for fourth on 284.
Stacy Lewis, who closed with a course-record 66, shared sixth with Sweden’s Carin Koch (74) on 285.
Pressel pulled into a tie with Pettersen with a seven-foot birdie at 16.
Pettersen was already in the clubhouse and could only watch as Pressel played her final two holes.
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