Molinari gets 3rd Tour title at Spanish Open

Francesco Molinari conjured a scintillating final round of seven under par to capture his third European Tour title at the Spanish Open on Sunday.

The Italian Ryder Cup player was four strokes down at the start of the final play at the Reale Club de Golf de Sevilla but blew the rest of the field away, including overnight leader Simon Dyson of England, with the best round of the week to win by three strokes.

The 29-year-old's achievement was all the more impressive given that his position in the draw meant he had to deal with the driving wind and rain that lashed the course over the first two days and he finished the tournament on eight under.

Soren Kjeldsen of Denmark and Spaniards Pablo Larrazabal and Alejandro Canizares were joint second on five under, while Dyson faded to joint 12th.

"I knew I was playing well," Molinari said on the European Tour website (www.europeantour.com).

"I was also hoping the other guys would not go too far under par and everything worked out perfectly," added the Italian, whose victory lifted him back into the top 30 in the world rankings.

Despite the victory, his first in 18 months, Molinari remains outside the qualifying positions for this year's Ryder Cup.

"I just have to play the same golf a few more weeks and hopefully I will be there," he said.

"Everybody is desperate to make the team, but unfortunately for us there are only 12 spots.

"It's going to be hard - there are a lot of great players in Europe at the moment."