The Luna mission was safely accomplished so it was no wonder he was over the moon.

And, don't worry, there will be no more decidedly dicey space exploration references from here on in.

Fifteen years after taming a Tiger in St Andrews, Santiago Luna denied a rampant old lion in the home of golf to win the SSE Scottish Senior Open.

On a testing, wind ravaged day at the Fairmont resort, the likeable Spaniard closed with a one-under 71 for a five-under 211 and pipped Sam Torrance to what would have been a remarkable title triumph over the course that he designed.

In his last event as a 50-something, Torrance, who celebrates his 60th birthday next Saturday, made a spirited assault but had to settle for a share of second on 212 as his bid for a first victory on the Senior Tour since 2009 just came up short.

Having just turned 50 at the end of 2012, Luna is something of a young pup among the golfing old dogs and this was a victory to savour. They don't come around too often, after all. Very much a journeyman of the main European Tour, Luna claimed his only win at that level in the 1995 Madeira Islands Open but probably earned more acclaim beating Tiger Woods over the Old Course in the Dunhill Cup in 1998. "If myself and Tiger played each other 90 times he would probably beat me but that game was mine," reflected Luna.

He took the plaudits again in this corner of Fife yesterday with a performance of poise and control, despite the buffeting which saw just one player - Barry Lane with a fine 69 - break 70. "The power of the wind is the most difficult thing for me," added Luna. "It makes it harder and we just don't get this in Madrid. It's hard to explain how it feels to have won in St Andrews, a place that I love. It is just very special. It's been a long time since I last made a winner's speech."

Torrance, who won the Scottish Senior crown in 2006, would have loved to have been the man making it and the former Ryder Cup captain gave it his all, although the long-handled putter tried its best to infuriate him. "I had 34 putts today but, as you know, playing with the long putter in this wind is a nightmare," he noted. The club in question did behave itself on the odd occasion, though. When he trundled in a birdie putt on the fourth, the celebrated Scot, who was three off the pace heading into the final round, gave a robust clenched fist salute to show that he was meaning business.

While the overnight leader, Peter Fowler, toiled through the early stages and sagged to a double-bogey on the sixth, it was Englishman Paul Wesselingh who made an purposeful early raid on the summit. The three-time Senior Tour champion birdied four of his first six holes to surge into contention but his appearance at the top was fleeting and he would eventually slither out of the running.

Denis O'Sullivan, the 65-year-old Irishman who was aiming to become the second oldest winner on the Senior circuit, was a constant presence on the leaderboard while Phil Golding, runner-up last year, was hovering menacingly throughout.

The home galleries only had eyes for Torrance though and he kept them hooked until the end. Two-under for his round through 12 holes, Torrance slipped to a "disastrous" three-putt bogey on the 13th but responded in style by draining a 40-footer on the 14th for birdie. Three dunts with the putter on the 16th led to a further damaging dropped shot but, with the competitive juices still flowing as he continued to revel in being at the sharp end of affairs, Torrance made one final push. His 5-iron second shot on the long 18th looked perfect - "I was excited when it was in the air" - but came up short of the green. His chip for what would've been a lead-sharing eagle flirted with the hole but bounced eight-feet by. Torrance rolled in the return for a birdie to finish with a flourish. "I'm delighted and I played magnificently," said the 59-year-old, who was joined by O'Sullivan on the four-under mark. "It's a good effort for my last event in my 50s."

By that stage, Luna knew a par on the 18th would just about do it and, despite a nervy chip from the back of the green that reared up some 30-feet short, he safely two-putted for his five. He could start dusting down that victory speech.