Sam Torrance opens door for Mike Cunning to win in Spain

Cunning had started the day three strokes behind joint-overnight leaders Sam Torrance and Chris Williams but a titanic battle over the back nine saw him triumph, after a rare mistake from Torrance opened the door.

The 2002 Ryder Cup captain was one shot behind Cunning with two holes to play but pulled his approach shot to the 17th some 30 yards wide of the green. He then found the greenside bunker with his third shot and splashed out 20 yards past the hole, eventually making a bogey-6. That effectively ended the Scot's chances of continuing his sequence of winning in each of his full seasons on the Senior Tour - a record that stretched back to 2004 - as Cunning's lowest Senior Tour round saw him finish on 14-under-par 202 - one stroke clear of Spaniard Jos Rivero, who closed with a 66.

Torrance won the OKI Castelln Senior Tour Championship at Club de Campo del Mediterrneo in 2008 and sealed the Senior Tour Order of Merit at the venue last year but he had to settle for a share of third place with Paraguay's Angel Franco this time round.

Instead it was Cunning who ended the season on a high, capturing his second Senior Tour title to go alongside his debut victory in the Aberdeen Brunei Senior Masters presented by The Stapleford Forum at the start of the 2009 campaign. "It's a very special way to end the year, winning the last tournament of the season when I really needed to play well," said the 52-year-old.

The battle for the Order of Merit proved more straightforward by comparison, as Ruangkit showed exactly why he has been the dominant force this season with nine birdies in a superb 65 to share eighth place.