Welshman Jamie Donaldson won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and then admitted he thought he had no chance of picking up the prize.
The 37-year-old, whose only previous European Tour success came on his 255th start at the Irish Open last July, won the £278,172 first prize by a stroke when long-time leader Justin Rose lipped out on the final green from 12 feet.
Minutes earlier Donaldson had three-putted for a bogey six, missing from under five feet, but it did not matter.
Against a field that had earlier in the week included world top two Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods both missed the halfway cut he could hardly believe what had just happened.
“I played the pro-am on Wednesday and thought the course was too difficult and I had no chance,” Donaldson said.
“I thought if I could get a decent finish I would be chuffed. To be holding this trophy is just mad.”
Rose, whose last trip to the Middle East in November saw him denied by McIlroy in Dubai, shared second place this time with Dane Thorbjorn Olesen, whose own 18ft attempt to force a play-off ran just wide.
The biggest sympathy vote, though, went to Rose’s fellow Englishman David Howell.
Down at 258th in the world he was 569th less than three years ago the former world number nine charged into the lead with five birdies in the first 10 holes.
But the Swindon golfer bogeyed the short 12th, then on the next splashed out of sand to four feet and four-putted from there for a triple-bogey seven.
Howell tied for sixth place when a first victory for seven years would have taken him back into the game’s top 100.
Fifer Peter Whiteford finished 13 off the lead after carding a final round 71 for a 287 total one better than fellow Scot Paul Lawrie, who shot a last round 72.
Craig Lee was top Scot with a final round 67 to finish seven behind Donaldson, while Richie Ramsay carded a 75 for a 283 total.