Spain's Juan Quiros produced a stunning approach shot on the 18th hole to pip home favourite Des Smyth by a single stroke in a titanic battle at the Irish Seniors Open in Ballyliffin.
Quiros and Smyth headed to the final green locked on level par after a fascinating see-saw battle in adverse conditions on the Inishowen, but it was Quiros, rather than the man from Drogheda, who produced a moment of magic to clinch the title.
The 52-year-old pitched his third shot from 132 yards to within 18 inches and then made the birdie putt to edge past Smyth.
The spectators who had braved the driving rain in were treated to some finger-biting golf as Smyth open up a three shot lead early on only to see it clawed back by Quiros, following the Louth man's double bogey on the 13th.
Both players were battered by the conditions on the course, with no player teeing off after 8.45am carding an under par score today, but Quiros managed to steady himself when it mattered.
Smyth was naturally disappointed not to become the first home winner in 10 years since Joe McDermott in 1998 but he praised Quiros for his winning shot on the 18th.
He said: "It was a great shot there. I'm disappointed not to win but I've had a great week. I was going well and played great early on but the wind and rain came and I found it hard. I found it hard to swing out there."
Collated Scores
212 Juan Quiros (Spa) 71 69 72
213 Des Smyth (Irl) 71 68 74
216 Giuseppe Cali (Ita) 69 75 72, Luis Carbonetti (Arg) 69 76 71, David J Russell (Eng) 72 70 74, Simon Owen (Nzl) 71 73 72, Nick Job (Eng) 71 73 72, Gordon J Brand (Eng) 70 70 76
217 Ian Woosnam (Wal) 76 67 74, Guillermo Encina (Chi) 75 71 71, Denis O'Sullivan (Irl) 72 70 75, John Chillas (Sco) 72 71 74, Sam Torrance (Sco) 71 70 76, Bob Cameron (Eng) 72 74 71
218 Bob Charles (Nzl) 71 75 72, David Good (Aus) 71 73 74, Stewart Ginn (Aus) 74 77 67, Ross Drummond (Sco) 73 76 69, Terry Gale (Aus) 75 71 72
219 Seiji Ebihara (Jpn) 75 75 69, Tony Allen (Eng) 74 74 71, Manuel Pinero (Spa) 71 74 74, Angel Fernandez (Chi) 75 73 71
220 Adan Sowa (Arg) 72 76 72, Tony Charnley (Eng) 72 74 74, Alfonso Barrera (Arg) 70 72 78, Liam Higgins (Irl) 73 75 72, Bruce Heuchan (Can) 73 74 73, Katsuyoshi Tomori (Jpn) 71 76 73, Kevin Spurgeon (Eng) 74 72 74, Domingo Hospital (Spa) 76 67 77, Costantino Rocca (Ita) 71 71 78, Delroy Cambridge (Jam) 73 71 76, Horacio Carbonetti (Arg) 74 75 71, Bill Longmuir (Sco) 71 70 79
221 John Bland (Rsa) 72 73 76, Martin Gray (Sco) 80 70 71, Sandy Lyle (Sco) 73 73 75, Andrew Murray (Eng) 73 72 76, Emilio Rodriguez (Spa) 73 69 79
222 Maurice Bembridge (Eng) 77 74 71, Peter Teravainen (USA) 77 70 75, Eamonn Darcy (Irl) 77 73 72, Jimmy Heggarty (NIrl) 76 75 71, Carl Mason (Eng) 75 70 77, Eddie Polland (NIrl) 74 75 73
223 Antonio Garrido (Spa) 73 77 73, Tim Rastall (Eng) 73 79 71, Bobby Lincoln (Rsa) 73 76 74, Tony Johnstone (Zim) 74 77 72
224 Martin Poxon (Eng) 75 75 74, Bob Larratt (Eng) 74 81 69, Tony Price (Wal) 76 74 74, Bob Boyd (USA) 77 76 71, Jeff Hall (Eng) 76 74 74, Ian Mosey (Eng) 80 70 74, Jose Rivero (Spa) 74 76 74, Enda McMenamin (Irl) 74 75 75
225 Jean Pierre Sallat (Fra) 73 72 80, John Benda (USA) 77 72 76, Philippe Dugeny (Fra) 74 78 73, David Merriman (Aus) 72 72 81, Peter O'Hagan (Irl) 74 75 76
226 Mike Miller (Sco) 77 76 73, Paul Leonard (NIrl) 77 74 75, Garth McGimpsey (NIrl) 75 73 78
227 Pete Oakley (USA) 78 73 76
228 Alan Tapie (USA) 67 83 78, Angel Franco (Par) 74 72 82, Torsten Giedeon (Ger) 73 72 83, Jim Rhodes (Eng) 73 74 81
229 Val Smyth (Irl) 77 77 75
230 Jerry Bruner (USA) 78 79 73
231 John Hoskison (Eng) 73 77 81
241 Greg Hopkins (USA) 83 82 76
