Lawrie third as Levet takes Spanish title

THOMAS LEVET overcame early setbacks to secure a two-stroke victory in the Spanish Open and land his fifth European Tour title yesterday.

The Frenchman posted a final round 68 for an 18-under-par aggregate that saw him home ahead of Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zanotti.

Ireland’s Peter Lawrie and Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn shared third, four adrift of Levet, who paid tribute to Seve Ballesteros, the Spaniard who is recovering from surgery to remove a cancerous brain tumour.

“I dedicate this win to Ballesteros,” Levet said. “He was my hero as a kid and has always been my inspiration.”

Paul McGinley carded a final-round 75 to finish tied-31st, seven shots ahead of Gary Murphy, who made up for a disastrous 77 on Saturday by recording a one-under-par last round.

Twice major champion John Daly closed with a 69 to finish 15 shots behind Levet in the first of five events he is playing on the European Tour.

Daly finishes a six-month US Tour ban for bringing the tour into disrepute at the end of May.

US PGA TOUR: Sean O'Hair won the Quail Hollow Championship in Charlotte last night with a closing round of 69 giving the Texan an 11-under-par total.

A shot behind, Bubba Watson and Lucas Glover finished tied second, while a final round of 72 ended Tiger Woods’ chances of first place, the world number one finishing the tournament nine-under in fourth position on the leaderboard.

The best of the European contingent was Ian Poulter a further shot behind in tied fifth.

CHALLENGE TOUR: England's Robert Coles cruised to his second tour victory after carding a final-round 68 to finish on 275, four strokes clear of Australian Matthew Zions in the Moroccan Classic.

The 36-year-old’s comfortable win was his first in six years since his maiden triumph in the BA-CA Golf Open in Austria in 2003.

“I’m delighted with this,” said Coles, who finished tied eighth in the Kenya Open. “I got off to a great start and just kept my head down from there.

“It’s been a great start to the season for me with a top-10 and a win and hopefully I can keep that going.”

Zions fired a superb 66 to finish runner up on nine under par – his best Challenge Tour finish – with France’s Julien Quesne third on seven under.

AMATEUR: Shane Lowry will go into this week's Irish Strokeplay Championship at Royal Dublin hoping to rekindle the flame that was reduced to a flicker in the final two rounds of the Lytham Trophy, which he had led at the end of the first day.

“I lost my momentum, it’s as simple as that,” said the 22-year-old Walker Cup squad member from Esker Hills, who had to settle for a four-way share of third place, three strokes behind James Robinson, the first Lancastrian winner since 1985.

Lowry’s challenge was effectively over after his morning round of 75.

“That killed me, I was five-over-par for the last four holes after double bogeys at the 15th and 18th,” he rued.

Lowry, also third last year, was one of only two of the six-man Irish squad to make the cut.

The other was Castle’s Dara Lernihan, who closed with a pair of adventurous 77s for a 301 total and 31st place.