Despite a few wobbles on the final hole, Daniel Gavins battled the pressure to come out on top. When it comes to overcoming nerves on the golfing world stage, it doesn’t come closer than this.

The DP World Tour was as gripping as ever this past weekend with plenty of spectacle at the Ras Al Kaimah Championship. Moving further north from the Dubai Hero Cup at the Emirates Golf Club, the championship at Al Hamra was a riveting tournament from start to finish.

Ryo Hisatsune came out swinging on the Thursday, opening with six birdies in a row to set the round 1 lead at 8-under-par. By the end of Round 2, the lead had been extended to 11 under, with Adrian Meronk, David Law, and Rasmas Højgaard all joint leaders. The penultimate day saw some fantastic golf played by the top four players on the leaderboard with only one bogey made by Højgaard, Zander Lombard scored a stellar 9 birdies to push the leading score to 16 under.

The ultimate winner of the tournament played consistently with his putter, sinking phenomenal putts and dominating the greens. Daniel Gavins made 6 birdies on his front 9 of the final round but was starting to wobble on the back 9. All eyes were on him as he teed up on the closing hole.

If you suffer from a slice off the tee, you may have been wincing when watching the final hole as the entire right-hand side is taken up by the lake that surrounds the Al Hamra village. Clearly feeling the pressure, Gavins sailed his first drive into the water. Having reached the fairway with his second drive, he then ambitiously went for the green on his fourth stroke. A commendable effort but the shot fell short and similarly went straight into the drink. Hitting the water twice in one hole is enough for most golfers to let the emotions get to them, but Gavins continued with a respectable stoic determination.

Managing to keep his head at the end, Gavins ended with a spectacular up-and-down finish from his drop in the rough. The ball landed on the short grass and when the leader played his 25-foot double bogey putt, the ball rolled perfectly in, finding the centre of the hole. Gavins ended on 17 under, narrowly securing the win over Björk and Lombard who finished only one shot behind on 16 under. In his post-round interview, Daniel Gavins claimed “when I sunk the putt and then went to the back of the green and saw that I was actually winning still, it was kind of a big shock”.

It’s incredibly nail-biting to watch these Tour players recover from perilous hazards to make a comeback and secure the victory. When you play do you always go for the golden shot, or do you sensibly lay up?