Stephen Dodd lived up to his billing as pre-tournament favourite as he triumphed in a tense play-off to clinch the Ryder Cup Wales 2010 Welsh Open PGA Championship.
The three-time European Tour winner fired a 68 to tie first with Derbyshire golfer Ian Walley on five under par and then sealed victory on the 18th hole at the third attempt to claim a cheque for £4350.
After quietly moving into contention with a two under par on Wednesday Dodd stepped up a gear at Marriott St Pierre with a 68 - including an eagle at the eighth - and then finished a pinpoint tee shot with a tidy four foot putt in the sudden death decider.
Dodd said: "It was nice to finish like that. We had enough goes to know what club it was and it was nice to finally get the ball near the hole.
"I played better so that was the encouraging thing. I felt the first two rounds I didn't particularly play well but there was quite a marked improvement.
"I have played terrible for a year-and-half now so it's nice to go out there and hit some nice shots. It's nice to give something back to Welsh golf, I always enjoy these events.
"I'll go to Sweden for the Scandinavian Masters next week so will hopefully take some form there."
Defeat for Walley - a Chepstow runner-up for a second successive season - was hard to swallow follow after another recent play-off defeat deprived him of a place in the Great Britain and Ireland PGA Cup side which travels to the United States next month.
Asked about his play-off woes, the Mickleover professional replied: "No, this year it has not been a good experience but still it was nice to be up there.
And Walley, who fired a three under par 68, said: "Stephen is a great player, he has won on the European Tour.
"There is not a lot I can say really, I didn't play badly. It was a birdie which won the hole. I played pretty nice all day, it will be nice to come back and see if I can do it."
Welsh Order of Merit leader Andrew Barnett was third, three shots further back after a 72.
He said: "I just didn't get going at all. I made two birdies and three bogeys, I was solid enough, I didn't play too different I just didn't make the birdies."
Overnight leaders Sean Mason (Teign Valley) and Graham Howell (Ferndown Forest) were also unable to maintain their momentum as they too slipped back.
Mason's 74 was enough to secure fourth place with a 212 over the 54 holes but he admitted the final five holes had cost him dearly.
He said: "I'm disappointed with my finish. I had it going nicely, I was leader after 10 or 11 holes but dropping four shots in the last five holes is not what I was looking for."
Howell could only manager a four over 75 to finish fifth on level par but remained content.
"It's the first time I've been in the last group in something quite so big. I just didn't get it going really," he said.
"If you had given me fifth at the beginning of the week, I would have been delighted. I'm happy but disappointed at the same time."