Andy Sullivan took nothing but positives from his week at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai despite falling just short in his final round battle with Rory McIlroy.
The Englishman had led after each of the first three rounds at Jumeirah Golf Estates and, after birdieing four of his opening six holes, the three-time 2015 winner held a three shot advantage over the World Number Three.
But a run of four birdies in five holes from the 11th gave McIlroy the momentum to carry him to victory by a single stroke and with it, hand him The Race to Dubai title.
The second-placed finish for Sullivan moved him up to eighth in the European standings and the 28 year old was delighted to show that he can go toe-to-toe with the very best.
"For me it doesn't really get any better than that," he said. "Maybe one shot better and maybe take him to a play-off.
"It was an awesome day, I gave it everything on that front nine. I just couldn't quite get the putts to drop on the back nine and didn't really hit it close enough again.
"Just to come up head-to-head with someone of Rory's quality, it was absolutely awesome and something that will stick with me for a long time going forward.
I think I can hold my own now, it's safe to say. For me it's just trying to do it on a more regular basis. I know I can do it. It's just going out and trying to do it more now - Andy Sullivan
After a birdie on the 15th gave McIlroy a two shot lead, it looked as if the 26 year old was going to coast to victory but an errant tee shot on the 17th found the water, resulting in a bogey and a tense finish up the last.
"I thought, 'I'm back in it'," said Sullivan. "I thought, 'I've got a chance again'. But I gave him a great teach on my putt. He got a real good read on my first putt. I've hit it and left it that far behind.
"That's just the quality he is and the world-class performer he is.
"Even 18, if I holed the putt, I thought it could go a bit further but that's the way it goes.
"I've got so much to take from this week, the way I've played and the way I've handled it. And in a world-class field, first time for me that I've really performed in such a big field."
Sullivan's countryman Danny Willett also finished second to McIlroy in Dubai, having to place ahead of the four-time Major Championship winner to overtake him at the top of The Race to Dubai.
Willett spent the first 14 weeks of the season at the top of the rankings after his victory at the Nedbank Golf Challenge and was left to reflect on what was a successful campaign.
"There's a lot of good results," he said. "If you look at statistics, stroke averages, top tens, top fives, wins, it has been a very, very good year.
"So you hold your hands up and you gave it your best shot. Unfortunately we came up shy by one but hopefully next year we're in a similar position to try and change the story.
"Knowing that the game is good enough to be there and do it under pressure, I think moving forward, it's going to give us a lot of confidence for future events."
There are four Englishmen in the top 15 of The Race to Dubai with Justin Rose finishing fourth and Matthew Fitzpatrick 12th after a stunning rookie campaign.
The 21 year old finished alongside Willett in a share of fourth at the Earth Course to seal a tenth top ten of the campaign and admitted he had exceeded expectations in 2015.
"A ridiculous amount," said Fitzpatrick, who won the British Masters supported by Sky Sports. "I was just happy to keep my card. You compare keeping my card to where I was projected on the Order of Merit, it's safe to say I just exceeded it a little bit.
"I'm really pleased with the way I've played this week. It's the tenth top ten of the year, which is a nice little stat to have, particularly for my first year."
Fitzpatrick's rival for the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award, Byeong-hun An, also finished at 13 under to get to seventh in The Race to Dubai, and he too was delighted with his maiden season.
"I've definitely exceeded," said the BMW PGA Championship winner. "I'm top ten in The Race to Dubai right now and I never thought about it - even top 60. It definitely was a great season for me."
