SA's Aiken wins, salutes Seve

Barcelona - Thomas Aiken won the Spanish Open on Sunday and dedicated his maiden European Tour victory to Seve Ballesteros.

The 27-year-old South African closed with a two-under-par 70 for a 10-under-par 278 four-round total at El Prat that left him two strokes better than experienced Dane Anders Hansen (70).

"Seve was an inspiration to us all and we were all out there trying to win it for him," Aiken told reporters, referring to the Spanish five-times major champion who died of brain cancer on Saturday at the age of 54.

"No matter who had won today I think they would have wanted to dedicate the win to Seve," added Aiken after breaking his tour duck in his fourth full year.

The leader for the second and third rounds, Aiken was never headed as his faultless two-under-par front nine kept the field at bay.

He then stayed cool when he made mistakes coming home, to finally prevail after third, fifth, sixth and seventh places this season and a runner-up finish last year.

His playing partner Hansen, twice a winner of the European Tour's flagship PGA event at Wentworth, had been expected to be Aiken's chief threat.

However, the Dane stalled over the first eight holes with pars.

Leading final round scores from the Spanish Open at the par-72 course:

278 Thomas Aiken (South Africa) 68 68 72 70 280 Anders Hansen (Denmark) 69 72 69 70 281 Pablo Larrazabal (Spain) 67 70 73 71

Scott Jamieson (Britain) 66 72 72 71 282 Paul Lawrie (Britain) 72 71 72 67

Simon Dyson (Britain) 75 67 72 68

Phillip Price (Britain) 70 71 72 69

David Horsey (Britain) 71 70 71 70

Gregory Havret (France) 71 72 69 70

Romain Wattel (France) 67 71 72 72 284 Rafael Cabrera-Bello (Spain) 73 70 74 67

Thomas Levet (France) 71 70 74 69

Alexander Noren (Sweden) 72 67 74 71

Shane Lowry (Ireland) 69 73 70 72 285 Robert-Jan Derksen (Netherlands) 72 72 76 65

Mark Foster (Britain) 72 71 74 68

Gregory Bourdy (France) 68 71 76 70

Niclas Fasth (Sweden) 71 72 71 71

Alvaro Velasco (Spain) 72 66 75 72

Christian Cevaer (France) 72 69 72 72

Seve Benson (Britain) 69 74 70 72 286 Peter Lawrie (Ireland) 68 72 74 72

Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) 72 69 73 72 287 Jeev Milkha Singh (India) 67 74 76 70

Bradley Dredge (Britain) 73 72 73 69

Anthony Wall (Britain) 68 70 77 72

Danny Willett (Britain) 70 75 70 72

Chris Wood (Britain) 70 73 70 74 288 Robert Rock (Britain) 75 69 72 72

Matteo Manassero (Italy) 73 70 72 73

Alexandre Kaleka (France) 71 70 73 74