The second round of the Portugal Masters was overshadowed with controversy as Spain’s Alvaro Quiros accusing his French-born playing partner Gary Stal a ‘cheater’.

Now before we go any further Quiros is not accusing the reigning Abu Dhabi HSBC champion of breaking the rule.

Quiros, whose first language is of course Spanish, could have chosen a better word.

However there was no hiding the normally affable Quiros being livid calling for Chief Referee Andy McFee to attend to the scorer’s hut straight after the Spaniard signed for a round 68 on the Oceanico Victoria course.

Stal, and winner of this year’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, was headed to the locker room in missing the cut with scores of 69 and 73 and totally unaware of the ensuing conversation.

Alvaro Quiros far from happy after his second round in the Portugal Masters. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)

Quiros and McFee were locked in discussion before being joined by Dane Thomas Bjorn, and Chairman of the Tournament Players Committee, who was playing in the group behind the six-time Tour winning Quiros.

Quiros is clearly on a personal ‘slow play’ vendetta but when a referee appeared on their 12th hole to advise the group to pick up the pace up the pace of play Stal began to play quickly but only while the referee was in sight.

“Gary Stal is a pain in the arse because when the referee appeared the slowest player in our group starts to play quicker,” said Quiros.

“When I spoke to him I asked him why he doesn’t play at the pace when the referee approached us but he just ignored me.

“I then said to Andy Fee he is a cheater but not cheating in breaking the rules.

“I just get so pissed off because it happens every single day of every golf tournament and it’s an issue we have here especially on the European Tour and we need to fix it somehow.

“It also is a completely unfair situation especially when you are playing well as I was but the pace of play was appalling.

“So when the referee appeared on the course I actually started to play worse because I was five under after 11 holes but then played the next seven in two over.

Chief Referee, Andy McFee indicated he would be speaking with French ‘snail’ Gary Stal.

“But then slow play is a personal issue I have because I don’t like to suffer just another player doesn’t not want to play at a speed he is suppose to be playing.”

Quiros had first been interviewed on the subject by SKY Sports Gary Murphy, himself a former Tour player, but then sent the network into damage control mode is using the words ‘pissed off’ and reiterating his call of ‘cheater’.

A SKY Sports official later confirmed the interview was pulled and not screened.

McFee indicated he would speak to Stal but confirmed the issue of slow play ‘goes back 30 years’ when he first joined the European Tour.

“The scenario of players playing slowly and then speeding-up when they see a referee for me goes back 30 years and I’ve been trying to work out a plan to resolve that for 30 years but I am still not been to work out what to do,” he said.

“There’s no easy answer but then I am not hiding away from the fact Gary Stal is a very slow player and needs to change is routine and yes, I will be speaking to him.”

England’s Andy Sullivan posted a second straight 64 to lead the field by three shots at 14-under par.