When his monster 25-foot putt to save par lipped out on the final hole yesterday, Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee let the disappointment last but a second.
Thongchai then calmly drained a bogey five, signed his card for a 10-under total of 270 - and smiled brightly as he walked away, safe in the knowledge he had just secured a record third Asian PGA Order of Merit title.
'This win will mean a lot to the Thai people and all my sponsors,' said the 40-year-old. 'I would also like to dedicate this win to my family and my manager who have been supporting me throughout my career.
'Winning the Asian Tour Order of Merit really means a lot to me. The competition is always getting tougher and tougher each year and to win again shows my game is improving each year as well.'
Thongchai came to Hong Kong leading China's number-one player Liang Wenchong in the Order of Merit earnings list and the fact that both players finished on 10-under for a share of 11th place meant the Thai's lead cannot be breached, even though there are still three events to play on the Asian calendar.
After the Hong Kong money was divided up, Thongchai now sits on US$976, 694 for a year that has included victories at the Indonesian Open and the Ballantines Championship in South Korea, while Liang has picked up US$779,580.
'Liang played very well during the first two rounds and I knew I had to play well in order to give myself a chance,'' said Thongchai, the Asian Tour's all-time win leader with 12 tournaments.