Aiken salutes Ballesteros after win

Thomas Aiken struck a Seve Ballesteros pose for the cameras - the clenched fist one from St Andrews in 1984 - after capturing the Spanish Open on Sunday.

Then it was off to get his hair cut a little more like the man to whom he dedicated his first European Tour victory.

The 27-year-old South African, who had vowed to wait for a win before trimming his locks, beat Denmark's Anders Hansen by two at El Prat near Barcelona and said: "Seve was an inspiration to us all and we were all out there trying to win it for him. No matter who had won I think they would have wanted to dedicate the win to him."

He added: "He did so much for the game and he will always be remembered. It was an emotional week. It puts things into perspective - you have to live each day as if it's your last."

Aiken had "zero expectations" on the back of a seven-week lay-off he took to recharge his batteries.

"It might be a new strategy of mine. I'd played 19 out of 20 weeks and was grinding and grinding and grinding. I needed a break mentally as well as physically."

He left the clubs in the bag for a four-week trip to the Bahamas and added: "It makes you appreciate what you do so much more.

"You are breathing, you're healthy, you have a lot to live for. We put so much pressure on ourselves and I needed to take some off."

Hansen commented: "It was horrible after we heard on Friday that Seve was in a coma. I lost a bit of concentration because he's one of the reasons I'm here - I grew up watching him and he was so inspiring."

Scotland's Tour rookie Scott Jamieson shared third spot with Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal and as well as earning almost £100,000 for his third top 10 finish of the season he was handed a giant ham for being the first-round leader. "Could be fun with customs at the airport," he said, "but I'm delighted and hopefully I can build on it."