In a year of last-day drama on the European Tour it was hard to surpass yesterday's remarkable finale by Spain's Miguel Jimenez. The 1997 Ryder Cup vice-captain ensured he now leads this year's team campaign by chipping in outrageously over a bunker to clinch £133,330 and Ryder Cup points by claiming the Lancome Trophy title in Versailles.
And Jimenez, if he gets into Mark James' team for Brookline next year, will have proved a point to two Americans who are certain to be in Ben Crenshaw's dozen: that the 34-year-old Malaga professional has courage and acumen.
He came to the short 18th, a difficult hole at the best of times, knowing he needed a par to win. But Jimenez then hit his tee-shot under the grandstand.
Unabashed, he then produced a conjuring trick that the Americans are pretty used to bringing out of the hat themselves, pitching from 45 yards in the free-drop zone over a bunker and watching his ball run on right into the hole.
David Duval, America's chief money earner with $2 million this year, and Mark O'Meara, the double major winner and defending champion, could only watch in wonder.
A 69 left Jimenez on 11-under-par, two shots better than Duval, O'Meara, Jarmo Sandelin (who fired a remarkable 63) and New Zealand's Greg Turner.
Duval had looked the winner when he came to the last, but he put his tee-shot into the pond. O'Meara then needed a six-footer for par to set the mark and to put the frighteners on Jimenez, who had just bogeyed the 17th. The Masters and British Open champion, though, fluffed his putt.
Thus Jimenez leapt to the top of the Ryder Cup table, and he was not the only one to fire a warning shot for captain James. Nick Faldo's splendid 65 hauled him up to a share of sixth place and earned the big Englishman his first Ryder Cup haul at the second attempt. Who is to say Faldo will not now realise his ambition of being in Europe's top 10 in the table by the end of the Volvo Masters?
"Every good shot under pressure I hit was a shot nearer the Ryder Cup," said an eloquent Faldo.
Darren Clarke's decision to skip this event did him little damage. Rankings leader Lee Westwood, possibly upset by being in a rules rumpus with Sandelin on Saturday night, finished last and picked up only £1,200, so Clarke is only 9,000 or so behind him.
And Colin Montgomerie could never produce the magic he showed on the 18th the previous day when he holed a 60-footer after going into the grandstand. Monty sunk further down the field as the day wore on and had to settle for only a share of 11th place. That kept him £12,650 behind Clarke, who kept his second place on the rankings with three events to go.
Eamonn Darcy's finish left the veteran Irishman wanting to forget the weekend as quickly as possible. Darcy crashed from leading on Thursday to an indifferent finish of 75 for three-over-par to take 51st place and earn just £3,440. His couple of double-bogeys to finish on Saturday had ended any slight chance of victory. Paul McGinley's finish was not memorable either. A 72 for two-under-par earned only 26th place and £7,680. But the Dubliner accepted it was all pure bonus after being in danger of missing the event because of his neck injury.
It was the other side of the coin for Philip Walton. He had his best round since succumbing to a wrist injury. His splendid five birdies in seven holes in the heart of his round drew the Malahide man up to level-par for 33rd place and £6,080.
