Sam Brazel returns to the scene of his greatest triumph this week as he looks to defend his title at the UBS Hong Kong Open.
The Australian arrived at Hong Kong Golf Club 12 months ago to play just his 17th European Tour event at the age of 37 and sitting at 480th in the Official World Golf Ranking.
The next four days would prove to be life-changing as a birdie on the last from eight feet on Sunday handed him the title ahead of a chasing pack including then Masters champion Danny Willett, Ryder Cup star Rafa Cabrera Bello and Tommy Fleetwood - who would go on to win the Race to Dubai.
That proved to be his only top ten of the campaign but he made 18 out of 25 cuts to finish an impressive 67th on the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex, and he enjoyed his first full year on the European Tour.
"It was a massive career change for me as that win allowed me to play in Europe and so many stunning golf courses around the world," he said. "It gave me the opportunity to reach some of my goals which include playing full-time on some of the major tours.
"It’s great to be back and the course is in fantastic condition. I’ll go out there and give it my best this week.
"It’s great to see guys like Justin (Rose) and Sergio (Garcia) coming out to support an event like this. Players of their calibre will always draw the crowd and that’s what we like to see.
"I cannot control what they are going to do and they cannot control what I can do. So I’ll just try to enjoy my golf this week and soak in the memories from last year."
