Tommy Fleetwood was delighted to finish the 2020 Portugal Masters on a high before heading to Winged Foot Golf Club for next week's U.S. Open Championship.
The Ryder Cup star began the final round five shots behind overnight leader George Coetzee but produced a sparkling 64 that included brave birdies at the 17th and 18th to set the clubhouse target and catapult himself into contention.
His 13 under par total was only good enough for a share of third place in the end as Coetzee finished with a flourish to win by two shots, but Fleetwood was pleased to play his way into the mix on a Sunday the week before the second Major Championship of the year.
The Englishman said: "I'm happy with how I played and it's nice to put yourself in contention after hitting shots like on the 17th and 18th coming down the stretch.
"I did some really good practice (before the event) and I wanted to play this week because at the end of the day, I was working on things that I know were right, I had simple thoughts this week, but you have to hit shots like 17 and that is the only time you are going to find out how it's doing.
"So that was my most pleasing thing, the way I played, the way I hit it.
"On the greens was disappointing, it sounds daft but it was. Inside six feet I was poor this week but that's golf sometimes."
Fleetwood opened his fourth round with a confident par save from 12 feet before reeling off three straight birdies at the second, third and fourth to get to nine under.
He created a series of chances to make further birdies but could not convert another until the long 12th, when he tapped in from close range after narrowly missing his long eagle try.
Fleetwood picked up another shot at the 15th after holing his 14 foot putt and he almost made an eagle on the 17th but had to settle for a birdie as his 25 foot putt evaded the hole.
Knowing he would need to finish strongly to keep his hopes of winning alive, Fleetwood went straight for the pin on the 18th, clearing the water and watching on as his ball landed four feet from the cup.
He tapped in to finish the tournament with back to back birdies.
Fleetwood's fellow Englishman Laurie Canter also finished very strongly on Sunday, following up birdies at the 16th and 17th with one of the best pars of the week on the 18th to move to 14 under and grab second place.
Canter got to 12 under early in his round after making birdies at the second, third and fifth but after parring his next ten holes, the 30-year-old found himself two shots off the lead as he reached the 16th tee.
He knocked in his 15 foot birdie putt at the par three 16th before picking up another shot on the 17th to earn a share of the lead.
After a disappointing bunker shot at the 18th, Canter nervelessly holed his huge par putt from around 40 feet to remain on 14 under but as Coetzee also birdied the 16th and 17th, he finished in second spot.
Speaking about his efforts at the final hole, Canter said: "I felt like I hit a reasonable tee shot but just obviously favoured the right side and was a couple of yards in that rough, and it was just dead, so I was trying to hack something out front right, overdid it and the bunker shot was horrendous to be honest.
"I was trying to get it running up the tier to have some sort of putt at it but to hole that putt was awesome.
"At that point I still felt like maybe I had a chance, you know anything can happen on the 16th, 17th and 18th but George is class, he closed out really well.
"But overall, really chuffed with that."
