Spanish Open:Young South African Charl Schwartzel won a test of endurance as well as skill yesterday to become Spanish Open champion in Madrid.

After three days interrupted by rain, all the leaders at Centro Nacional had to play the bulk of their third rounds as well as the closing 18 holes on the final day.

And a 15-foot eagle putt on the long 16th proved decisive as the 22-year-old from Johannesburg captured his second European Tour title by one shot from Indian Jyoti Randhawa.

Schwartzel shot rounds of 68 and 67 to take the €330,330 first prize with a 16-under-par total of 272 - and then paid tribute to the man at his side.

Caddying for him for only the third time was Ernie Els' former bag-man Ricci Roberts and Schwartzel said: "He has helped quite a lot - he is very confident and that gives me a little edge.

"It feels good. People said I'd won on the European Tour before but in South Africa (the 2005 dunhill championship), but I said I could do it in Europe too and it was just a matter of time before it all clicks in.

"The three shots on the 16th were probably the three best I hit all week. It's not a tee shot to laugh at with water all down the left, but I hit it perfectly and then had the perfect three-iron yardage."

It was a nervy finish to both rounds for him, though. He double-bogeyed the 18th on his first visit of the day and when returning there with a two-shot lead was twice in rough, but escaped with a bogey that proved good enough when Spaniard Carlos Rodiles, needing a birdie to tie, found heavy rough left of the green and bogeyed.

"It was a good thing I could have some lunch after that double, I was steaming," added Schwartzel. "It was only 20 minutes before we had to tee off again, but it gave me time to cool down."

For Randhawa, who had set the target of 15 under with a closing 67 of his own, it was a fourth runners-up finish, but he has tasted victory seven times in Asia.

Randhawa, whose wife gave up her Bollywood film career to spend more time with him, became a father for the first time earlier this month and was hoping to complete a remarkable recovery.

He was five over par after 13 holes of the first round and yet led by two with four to play. As he bogeyed the 15th, however, Schwartzel birdied the 13th and then it all swung round on the 16th, where Randhawa only parred.

Randhawa married Chitrangada "Tina" Singh in 2000, who three years later shot to fame with her debut movie.

Rodiles was left to regret not only his closing bogey, but also a missed eagle chance from only six feet at the 16th after a glorious second shot. He had been three clear as he started the final round, but managed only a level-par 72.

Joint fourth were English pair Simon Dyson and Mark Foster.

Paul McGinley was best of the Irish on nine-under-par 279 after a final round of 69 with Peter Lawrie a shot further back on 281 after a 70. Graeme McDowell closed with a 70 for 281 while Damien McGrane shot a disappointing 76 for 286.

Schwartzel's win will take him into the top 50 and could mean a place for him in the Players Championship in Florida.

(Brit unless stated, Irish in bold, Par 72)

272 - C Schwartzel (Rsa) 69 68 68 67.

273 - J Randhawa (Ind) 75 65 66 67.

274 - C Rodiles (Spa) 70 66 66 72.

275 - S Dyson 69 69 66 71, M Foster 68 69 70 68.

276 - A Romero (Arg) 70 71 69 66, F Andersson Hed (Swe) 68 71 69 68.

277 - T Whitehouse 71 71 67 68, A Forsyth 68 74 66 69, S Gallacher 71 68 69 69, N Dougherty 66 71 70 70, G Bourdy (Fra) 67 69 71 70, S Little 67 69 70 71.

278 - M Kaymer (Ger) 71 70 67 70, G Storm 68 72 73 65, P Price 73 65 70 70

279 - P McGinley 70 72 68 69, B Dredge 69 72 69 69, J Edfors (Swe) 71 69 70 69

280 - A Tampion (Aus) 74 67 70 69, D Lynn 72 69 69 70, P Lawrie 76 65 69 70.

281 - J Sandelin (Swe) 70 71 71 69, S Wakefield 73 69 70 69, R-J Derksen (Ned) 67 75 72 67, A Noren (Swe) 70 71 71 69, G McDowell 71 69 71 70, G Davies 69 70 73 69, C Del Moral (Spa) 71 73 68 69, R Bland 68 71 71 71.

282 - M Quiros (Spa) 72 68 69 73, K Ferrie 69 71 71 71, G Murphy 71 72 71 68, N Fasth (Swe) 68 72 71 71, P Lawrie 74 69 66 73, E Canonica (Ita) 72 67 69 74, N Begay (USA) 68 70 73 71.

283 - J Lomas 70 70 73 70, L Oosthuizen (Rsa) 73 70 69 71, O Wilson 70 73 70 70, A Raitt 68 70 74 71, D Carter 71 73 68 71.

284 - C Balaseda (Spa) 70 74 69 71.

285 - D Park 70 71 70 74, D Drysdale 69 73 72 71, O Fisher 70 74 69 72, G Fernandez-Castano (Spa) 70 74 70 71.

286 - D McGrane 72 70 68 76, A Salto (Spa) 69 73 69 75, A Canete (Arg) 71 73 72 70, I Garbutt 71 73 72 70 287 MA Jimenez (Spa) 70 73 73 71, I Garrido (Spa) 71 72 72 72.

288 - A Coltart 70 72 74 72, T Pilkadaris (Aus) 69 74 73 72, G Orr 71 72 75 70, Marcus Higley 74 70 71 73.

289 - S Webster 72 69 73 75, Taichi Teshima (Jpn) 72 71 73 73, Marcus Fraser (Aus) 69 70 77 73.

290 - Marcel Siem (Ger) 73 71 75 71.

291 - A Velasco (Spa) 73 71 76 71.

292 - T Price (Aus) 70 70 78 74, F Delamontagne (Fra) 71 72 75 74.

293 - N Colsaerts (Bel) 77 67 74 75.

294 - R McEvoy 75 69 75 75.

Final Round Scores