Spanish rookie Alvaro Quiros came from behind to win the Alfred Dunhill Championship by one stroke at Leopard Creek on Sunday.

The unheralded Quiros shot a five-under-par 67 for a total score of 13-under-par 275 overall, pipping long-time leader, Charl Schwartzel.

Schwartzel, the 2004 winner, was one shot behind the Spaniard playing the last, but deposited his second shot on the par-five 18th into the water surrounding the notorious green, effectively killing his chances of forcing a play-off.

Quiros sealed his victory with a remarkable putt for eagle from 65 feet on the 18th which shaved the hole, leaving him with a simple tap-in for birdie.

"I have not been hitting the ball very straight off the tee and Saturday was terrible, I was pulling everything," said Quiros. "But with my putting, which has been very poor the last five months, I didn't miss.

"And when I have a six-iron in my hand I think I can do anything, I don't use it as an umbrella."

Britons Lee Westwood and Mark Pilkington, tied for second two strokes behind Schwartzel at the start of the final round, both endured frustration on the course.

Westwood finished third on nine-under-par, four behind Quiros, after a one-over-par 73, while Pilkington shot a 75.

The Welshman tied for seventh after his round was destroyed by three successive double-bogeys from the seventh to the ninth holes.

Playing in his first European Tour event this season, the 23-year old Quiros opened with a 74 in the first round, but tore up the leaderboard with round of 66 and 68 to start the final round in fifth place, four shots off the pace.

A string of huge drives off the tees and a deft hand on the greens saw the man from Cadiz in southern Spain hit the front with three birdies in his outward loop followed by three successive birdies from the 13th to the 15th.

Quiros, who is being coached by former Ryder Cup star Jose Rivero, admitted that he thought his birdie at 18 would only earn him a playoff with Schwartzel, but the South African, who held at least a share of the lead for the first three rounds, could only par the final hole for a level-par 72.

Schwartzel, the 2004 champion and 2005 runner-up said he was aiming for the middle of the green on the par-five 18th and two putts to force a playoff.

"The wind was coming from the right and I wanted to be left of the flag in the middle of the green, but I just overdid it. It was just a bad shot," Schwartzel said.

The 22-year-old suffered a string of narrow misses on the greens on the front nine, but thought he played well and didn't throw away any chances.

"I was in the fairway the whole time, but nothing happened with the putter. On the fourth, fifth, sixth and eighth holes, my putts went over the edge of the hole."

The Sunshine and European Tours travel to Port Elizabeth next for the South African Airways Open Championship at Humewood Golf Club, from 14 to 17 December 2006.