Relief was the dominant emotion for Queenslander Rod Pampling as he survived a play-off to win the Australian Masters and break a nine-year victory drought at home.
The 39-year-old, who has won twice on the US PGA Tour in the past four years, had only one previous victory in an Australasian PGA Tour event, the 1999 Canon Challenge at Sydney's Terrey Hills.
He was made to sweat for his second tour title in Australia, as 30-year-old Victorian Marcus Fraser forced him to a third play-off hole on Huntingdale's 18th on Sunday, before eventually succumbing with a bogey.
"They're never fun to be in, you work so hard for 72 holes then you still have to go again," Pampling said.
"But thankfully we came out on the right end, Marcus obviously played great today ... I'm very grateful that I ended up winning the trophy."
Both players produced stellar final rounds to force the extra holes.
Fraser started the day five shots adrift of joint overnight leaders Robert Allenby and Michael Sim, while Pampling was three shots off the pace.
They did not take long to catch up.
Fraser birdied six of his first eight holes to zoom to the outright lead, while Pampling joined him when he sank a long eagle putt on the par five seventh.
While some early bogeys quickly put West Australian Sim out of the picture, two-time champion Allenby stayed in touch until a disastrous par three 15th, when he double-bogeyed, after taking three bunker shots to find the green.
Allenby, who revealed on Saturday his mother Sylvia, who has cancer, does not have long to live, struggled to contain his emotions after that let-down.
His mother was at the course to watch him play the final holes, as he hung on for third place and he later admitted the emotional weight might have brought his round undone.
Fraser, playing several holes ahead of Pampling, reached the clubhouse with a one-shot lead over the Queenslander, but Pampling closed that gap with a birdie on the 15th.
He missed birdie chances on each of the next three holes, forcing the play-off.
After both made solid pars on the first play-off hole, Fraser found a sand trap the second time, then had to hole a four metre putt to stay alive.
But he could not repeat the dose, after again missing the green, with Pampling clinching the gold jacket and $270,000 cheque with another solid par.
Pampling said he benefited from a longer than normal preparation time in Australia, after returning from the US about three weeks ago.
"(In the past) I haven't had a great preparation coming home, you've got a 24-hour flight, you get in Tuesday most times, you're just not used to the golf course as much," he said.
"I've had chances to win, but thankfully today I've got up there."
He also credited some focussing techniques instigated by his wife Angela, a clinical psychologist, for keeping him calm during the play-off.