Into his own Theatre of Dreams

was his fourth top- 10 fi nish in 12 starts and came on a course he saw for the fi rst time on Monday.

“I wasn’t expecting this, I didn’t think a win was this close,” he said.

“I was dreaming about a win, but not at this event with all these great players. I was just hoping to make the cut.

“It’s going to be life- changing. It’s the biggest event on the European Tour and there are a lot of benefi ts. I was nervous at the start of the day but confi dent too, because I’d been hitting the ball well and putting nicely.

“I just tried to think it was a practice round with a few people watching.

“It will take a while to sink in but I don’t do anything special, just a nice dinner with my family. I’m not really a party guy.”

He says his parents remain his inspiration, but admits he harboured no desire to follow them into table tennis. “I’m slow and heavy, not really an athlete guy,” he said. “Golf is about the only sport I’m suited for.”

While An and Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee, who shared second with Miguel Angel Jimenez six shots back, gave the leaderboard a Far Eastern fl avour, two Englishmen had the home crowds cheering even if a title push proved beyond them. Chris Wood has taken some time to confi rm the potential shown in winning the silver medal as leading amateur at The Open in 2008, but after fi ve months out with a wrist injury he shot a closing 66 – including a hole in one on the 178- yard 14th that landed a car to match his electric blue shirt – to fi nish fourth.

And Tommy Fleetwood, left, who claimed the fi rst albatross of his life in a round of 65 on Saturday, had a rollercoaster round that never quite hit such heights.

But the 24- year- old from Southport is a charismatic, sharp- featured cool kid, who could just be the next superstar of English golf.