Joakim Lagergren and Jaco Van Zyl both managed to find the positives after losing out to Jeunghun Wang in a play-off at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.
The South Korean began the day with a three-shot lead but rounds of 66 from Lagergren and 68 from Van Zyl saw him caught at 16 under, setting up a dramatic finale.
All three men hit excellent drives down the 18th in the play-off and when Van Zyl found the heart of the green with his second shot, he was the favourite, with Lagergren finding the greenside bunker and Wang going over the back.
Lagergren managed to claim par from the bunker but Wang played an excellent chip to three feet, leaving the pressure on Van Zyl as he left his first putt six feet short.
The South African then lipped out for a second three-putt of the day and Wang was left to tidy up to claim a third European Tour title.
Lagergren had been sat in the clubhouse watching the final pair come down the last in regulation and while he was disappointed not to win, he now wants to use this result as a springboard for next week's Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
"We'll try to get the trophy there this time," said the Swede.
"I can't complain about the second place but there is obviously a lot of disappointment right now.
"I played really well today. I would have taken six under before the day, definitely. I played well but lost in a play-off.
It's a good start to the season and a little bit more fireworks so hopefully it continues - Jaco Van Zyl
"I knew before we went to the tee box there in the play-off, you need to make birdie here to win it. I was hitting four iron down in that bunker, so it's a tough shot from there."
For Van Zyl, it was a fourth top-25 finish of the season and a fifth runner-up finish in his 150th European Tour event, and he spoke earlier in the week of a new mindset to try and get him from a consistently good performer to the winner's circle.
"It's a good start to the season, and a little bit more fireworks, so hopefully it continues," he said.
"An unfortunate three-putt on six kind of put a damper on things a little bit. I made a nice one on 13, just unfortunately I hit a couple of good putts that just didn't go in.
"The back nine was playing really tough. The wind came up and it was really challenging."
