• Castello Masters, Round Four

Imperious Garcia cruises to emphatic 11-shot victory

Sergio Garcia poses with the trophy he also won in 2008 © Getty Images

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Sergio Garcia was able to enjoy a lap of honour at the Castello Masters on Sunday, as he cruised to an emphatic 11-shot victory to claim his first victory since 2008.

Garcia, who counts the Club del Campo Mediterraneo layout as his home course and is the host of this week's event, never looked in danger of being overhauled after starting the day with an eight shot advantage - with his final round 63 proving little more than the concluding ceremonial act of a week where the Spaniard has been a cut above.

Victory, clinched at 27-under with a pitch-perfect birdie at the 18th, represented Garcia's first triumph since 2008 - arguably his most successful year as a professional - and served as a fitting end to a season where the 31-year-old has slowly but surely clawed back his way back towards the game's upper echelons.

"I think they know me a little bit here!" Garcia joked to Sky Sports after the applause had finally died down. "It's hard to say I expected to play like I did this week, but I've been improving all year and the three weeks I took off were just mother's milk to me. I needed that, and obviously it worked.

"It was been two bad years, but I'm happy to pay back all those who have supported me with this victory."

Garcia had warned himself against making an early mistakes in his post-round comments on Saturday, and heeded his own advice as he opened with three steady pars. His first birdie came at the par-five fourth at that seemed to settle him, as he added three more before the turn to go out in 32 and maintain his large lead despite some valiant play from the chasing pack.

Birdies at ten and 11 made it four in a row for Garcia, a run that conclusively sealed the tournament, and he was able to relax even after making his first bogey of the day at the 17th. He finished in style too, holing out from barely eight-feet at the last to take the adulation of the crowd as he dedicated the victory to the legendary Seve Ballesteros, who died earlier this year.

"There are still things that I can improve on," he noted. "I hit the ball nicely but there are still a few swings I would like to get better at.

"The good thing is that I'm doing everything well, so if I can keep it like this I should be in good shape (for the future)."

Another Spaniard sliced through the field to win the competition to be the best of the rest, as Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano briefly flirted with the mythical round of 59 before eventually carding an eight-under round of 64, good enough for a 16-under total.

Castano did his best to put some pressure on Garcia as he went out in 29 - thanks to five birdies and an eagle - but couldn't quite keep up that momentum on the inward nine, as two bogeys offset his three birdies. Nevertheless, it was good enough for him to end the tournament as Garcia's nearest challenger.

Alex Noren finished third, the Swede bouncing back after seeming to be overawed by playing with one of his idols, Garcia, on Saturday. The two-time winner in 2011 followed his third round 73 with a flawless closing round of 64 to move in behind the surging Fernandez-Castano at 15-under.

Noren had no bogeys and seven birdies on his scorecard for the day, with six of those red numbers coming in a span of seven holes from the ninth. It was enough for him to sit alongside Scotland's Richie Ramsay and just ahead of South African Thomas Aiken, who was a shot behind at 14-under.

George Coetzee, Marcel Siem, Marcus Fraser and Romain Wattel rounded out the top ten - with Ross McGowan left with an anxious wait to see if he has done enough to save his tour card for next season after slipping back slightly with a round of 71.

At least his day wasn't as bad as that for Thongchai Jaidee, however, as he could only manage a sorry round of 74 to drop out of contention like a stone.

Elsewhere, a second successive round of 71 saw defending champion Matteo Manassero finish deep in the pack at five-under.

But the day belonged to Garcia, who claimed his ninth European Tour title with the biggest victory margin of the season - beating Martin Kaymer's eight-shot success in Abu Dhabi and Rory McIlroy's matching triumph at the US Open.

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