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AFP
Agrigento
World number 703 Alvaro Quiros just about held his nerve to beat Zander Lombard of South Africa in a play-off for his first title in six years on Sunday in Sicily.
The 34-year-old Spaniard's victory at the Sicily Open is the seventh of his topsy-turvy career but first title since the 2011 Dubai World Championship.
Quiros had tumbled down the world rankings and lost his playing privileges, but a stellar week in Italy means he is back on the European Tour and will move into the top 250.
He entered the final round with a five-shot lead on Lombard and extended it by a further two after six holes.
But he then dropped five shots on the back nine as Lombard forced the play-off.
Quiros, a former world number 23, admitted he should never have given Lombard a sniff after enjoying such a handsome lead."Obviously it shouldn't be like that but at the end it's a victory and that's the most important thing,"he told the European Tour.
"It's been a little bit of a mess. The game wasn't that bad. Just the last few holes I started to struggle with the wind left to right and he was playing nice.
"It's a victory, it means a lot of things. Unfortunately I didn't really like how I ended the round. It should never have been that far."
For Lombard, who does not have a European Tour card himself after playing just 12 events last season, it is a second runner-up finish after last season's Joburg Open.
