‘The impetus was for me - on 8, 9 and 10 – and I stayed with it throughout the round. I hit a wonderful shot into the 17th. It was from 171m, the perfect six iron but I opened up on a five and it (the shot) was as good as I could ever hope for. I had a little bit of a read from my playing partner’s putt and in it went.

‘I learnt a lot about myself today and the first win on British soil is very important to me – some of my biggest let-downs have been here.

‘I have been too hard on myself in the past. You think success is going to come to you all the time but sometimes you don’t get what you think you deserve.

‘This week I have had a wonderful attitude to the game all week, played with a smile. If I hadn’t won I would still have gone home happy. At a tournament someone else is happy. Ou biggest thing is to keep the Tour going. Someone wins and someone loses but the Tour is bigger than the players. We have a very good life!

‘I want to play that golf in the US and I enjoy it over there, its just that I can’t be away for 5-6 weeks in a row. We don’t want to move to the US and if I cacn’t play a gull schedule then so be it.’

What of the first man to make a move, Darren Clarke, who was trying to win from 8 back and had an albatross on the third to help him on his way?

‘I hit a really good putt on 10 which just lipped out. I pitched it up beside thee flag on 11 and it spun back 25ft away. On 13 I had a good chance from about 12ft – the same again on 15. 16 set me back and I pushed my drive on 17 and then had a chance from 10ft and missed it.’

Soren Hansen took bogeys at the 16th and 18th and finished on -4, two shot out of the play-off.

‘I didn’t have a shot at all (on 16) and then I hit a good bunker shot at the last but missed from about 6ft … but I was probably too far back at the beginning of the day.’

Simon Khan has been playing well and feels that if he can hole a few putts at vital stages he can hopefully win again and his thoughts turned to the people watching.

‘Great crowds and that helps you. It’s a good atmosphere out there.’

Of those in the play-off, Brian Davis has not putted well enough (yet) for a win and for David Howell, his swing changes are not yet working –

‘All the stuff I have been working on with my swing just didn’t stand up to the pressure there at the end. Simple as that. I got lucky on the 17th, a porr swing with my second and I managed to chip it in. I just needed one good swing at the last and just couldn’t do it.

‘One good five iron (in the play-off) and the title is yours. I couldn’t do it, I’m very disappointed.’