Scotland (Reuters) – Spain’s Alvaro Quiros loves James Bond films and showed he had a license to thrill by driving three of the par-four holes on the way to a closing five-under 67 at the British Open on Sunday.
Three of his six birdies came at the ninth, 12th and 18th where he dispensed with the need for an approach shot, twice two-putting from 40 feet and once from just off the green.
But the tall, bearded Quiros, recognized as the European Tour’s longest hitter, admitted a sense of annoyance after walking off the hallowed turf of St Andrews.
“I feel a little bit of frustration because for the first three rounds I played well but my putting was not great,” he said after finishing high up the leaderboard with a five-under aggregate of 283.
“St Andrews is always a special venue. The history and of course those greens, the size of them, and the windy conditions. It’s been tough all week but that’s links golf.”
His solitary final-round blemish came when he drove out of bounds at the treacherous 618-yard 14th and made a bogey six after finding the green in two with his second ball.
Quiros, who has won four times on tour including this year’s Spanish Open, compiled rounds of 72, 70, and 74 earlier in the week and said the whole experience would put him in good stead for the 2011 British Open at Sandwich.
“It looks like I’m going to be a good player under the wind so that’s a help for sure,” said the 27-year-old.
“Certainly for the next Open.”