What is more, Torrance finished in great style - the Scot struck a magnificent seven wood to 18 inches for a birdie at the 470-yards 17th then carried the lake with his second at the 513-yards 18th to set up a two-putt birdie.
With that Torrance, aged 44, who played in eight successive Ryder Cup Matches from 1981 to 1995, secured his 31st triumph world-wide as he won by two shots from Olivier Edmond (67), of France, Massimo Florioli (67), of Italy, Matthew Goggin (70), of Australia, and Bernhard Langer (69), of Germany. Marc Farry of France shot a closing 69 to share sixth place with Spain’s Pedro Linhart (70) on 279 - one ahead of England’s Russell Claydon (71) and David Howell (72) and Spain’s Santiago Luna (70).
Torrance said: “It’s wonderful - very special. I’m very strong and very fit, and I never thought I wouldn’t win again. I am young at heart and I might go on and win a few more. But when you haven’t been up there for such a long time, you still get warning bells when it gets as close as it did in the end.”
With his win Torrance has climbed to 14th with £133,369 in the 1998 Volvo Ranking which Lee Westwood leads with £383,629 ahead of Ernie Els (£368,953) and Thomas Björn (£327,470) going into this week’s Murphy’s Irish Open at Druids Glen, Dublin.
