Club: Real Club De Golf de Sevilla

Location: Seville, Spain

Date: May 3-6, 2012

European Tour Golf Betting Odds: The Open de España returns to Real Club de Golf de Sevilla. In 2010, Alvaro Quiros became the first home winner of Spain's national title in eight years when he triumphed in Seville. Before that, you have to go back to 2002, when Sergio Garcia won. The tournament is one of Europe's oldest, with its first staging dating back to 1912.

Alvaro Quiros has joined Seve Ballesteros, Sergio Garcia and Antonio Garrido as the only home winners of the Open de España since 1972. At 35th in the world, Quiros was the highest-ranked player in the field at the Real Club de Golf in Seville, and Europe's biggest hitter grabbed his fourth European Tour title with a par on the first hole of a play-off with English rookie James Morrison. In his first start since winning in Madeira three weeks ago, 25 year old Morrison threatened to make it back-to-back victories in only the sixth and seventh European Tour events of his career.

But after firing a five under par 67 to force sudden death the former England youth cricketer - he shared a room with Alastair Cook - pulled his approach into the lake when the pair returned to the 432 yard 18th. Morrison double-bogeyed the first play-off hole to hand the title and winner's check of €333,330 to Quiros on a plate after they had tied on 11 under par.

Quiros was all smiles after the win, "I think it's one of the most important things in my life for sure," he said. "To be the winner of your Open is something really, really great - with The Ryder Cup and the World Cup it's the best three things in golf for me."

After going in the water on the long ninth and turning two behind, Quiros told television commentator Howard Clark that he was trying his best to throw the tournament away. "Mark Foster was playing really well and I knew I had to make birdies," he added. But Foster bogeyed the short 11th and his birdie on the fourth was the only one he managed all day. Morrison earned a place on the circuit with only €5,000 to spare by finishing 18th on last season's Challenge Tour, but already in 2010 he has come first, second, fourth and sixth. With his €222,220 runners-up prize he has already earned over €400,000 and has no reason to regret choosing golf over cricket.

It will be interesting to see how many top players will show up for this year’s Spain Open; the Masters two weeks before and the Players a week after, players might take a few weeks off to rest and prepare for the U.S. Open which is less than a month away. One thing we do know, is that most of Spain’s stars will be on hand and a former cricket player named Morrison will be there fighting for the title.

2012 Spanish Open Winner - Francesco Molinari wins Spanish Open

Francesco Molinari finally returned to winning ways today – and did it with one of the finest rounds of his career.

The Italian Ryder Cup star produced a best-of-the-week 65, seven under par, to turn a four-stroke deficit into a three-shot win at the Spanish Open in Seville.

Molinari was ranked 14th in the world when he beat Lee Westwood at the HSBC Champions event in Shanghai nearly 18 months ago, but this was his first success since then.

While he celebrated his third European Tour victory, however, overnight leader Simon Dyson was left to reflect on a 76 that dealt a big blow to his Ryder Cup hopes.

Nobody in the top 50 scored worse on the final day, Dyson falling to joint 12th – and that after starting with two birdies.

Dane Soren Kjeldsen and Spaniards Alejandro Canizares and Pablo Larrazabal finished joint second, but Molinari outplayed them all to take the first prize of more than £271,000.

2011 Winner - Thomas Aiken

South African Thomas Aiken lifted his first European Tour title at the Open de España - and was quick to dedicate the win to three-time winner Seve Ballesteros.

The 27 year old from Johannesburg, playing his first tournament after a seven-week lay-off, shot a closing 70 at El Prat near Barcelona to beat Dane Anders Hansen by two.

Aiken took the first prize of €333,330 with a ten under par total of 278.

With all the players again wearing black ribbons in memory of the Spanish superstar, Aiken became the fifth South African to win on The European Tour already this season – Masters Tournament champion Charl Schwartzel among them, of course.

He resumed two in front and doubled that with birdies at the second and sixth.

He added another on the short 11th and after failing to get up and down from sand at the 223 yard 13th he came straight back with a further birdie.

Three-putting the 15th cut the gap to three again and when he drove into sand down the 17th the outcome was still far from certain.

However, Aiken, six times a winner in his home country, saved par and finished with another.

Playing partner Hansen, never able to pile on the pressure, birdied the par five last to push Scotland's Scott Jamieson and Spaniard Pablo Larrazábal into joint third.

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